Erith care home resident, living with dementia, gets back in the boxing ring at the age of 80!
Baz might be 80 and living with dementia, but it hasn’t stopped him getting back in the boxing ring! Former amateur boxer Barry Gerlack, known as Baz, stepped into the ring for the first time in over 50 years, thanks to the care home team at Heathfield Court, in Erith, Kent. Baz expressed a wish …
Baz might be 80 and living with dementia, but it hasn’t stopped him getting back in the boxing ring!
Former amateur boxer Barry Gerlack, known as Baz, stepped into the ring for the first time in over 50 years, thanks to the care home team at Heathfield Court, in Erith, Kent.
Baz expressed a wish to box again as part of our ‘make a wish’ initiative.
Donna, one of our lifestyle coordinators, organised for Baz to visit Nemesis Gym in Erith so that he could spar with gym owner, Michael Tekyi.
“It’s been pure joy, what an experience,” says Baz, who started boxing at London’s Bradfield Club in Peckham at the age of 12.
“I loved sparring with Michael, though he did have to remind me not to hit him and that it was shadow boxing only.
“Honestly, I was buzzing for the rest of the day!”
Baz showed a real talent for the sport and won several schoolboy championships.
As a young man in the 1960s, his amateur boxing career took off and Baz would regularly spar with professional boxers, helping them to prepare for a big fight.
“It was amazing to be able to organise this kind of experience for someone living with dementia, like Baz,” says Donna. “This is what makes my job so magical.
“We bought Baz a pair of boxing gloves for the occasion, similar to the ones he wore in the 1960s, which now have pride of place in his room.”
Several of Baz’s close family – including his sister, daughter, and granddaughter, joined him at the gym to see him box for the first time.
Baz’s daughter, Zoe Kesward, adds: “The whole experience was phenomenal. It was the first time I’d seen my dad in a boxing ring, and it was quite emotional to see him so happy.”