Community
“Once you take
that first step,
the rest of it
comes easy.”
Team Fox superstar Jimmy Choi has
completed countless endurance athletic
events and raised more than $100,000 to help
drive Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. But it
took Jimmy several years after his Parkinson’s
diagnosis at 27 to come to terms with his
disease and lace up for the first time. On July
3, he inspired audiences worldwide as he took
on the obstacle course on NBC’s “American
Ninja Warrior.” Jimmy publicly shared how his
personal journey was filled with both hurdles
and triumphs, and sparked a conversation
about what it’s like to live — and tackle new
challenges — with PD. See how our community
has been inspired by Jimmy’s story.
ROBERT
“I have seen many of my Parkinson’s patients
respond with regular exercise. This is so
exciting to have you talk about this!”
EMILY JOHN
“I realized that my “When you see
excuses for not Jimmy out there —
pushing myself strong, healthy and
were nothing determined, going
compared to for it, competing —
what PD patients you don’t see
deal with daily. Parkinson’s,
I decided to you see a man
do something who’s beating
that scares me... Parkinson’s!”
attempt the Disney
half marathon with
Team Fox.”
MEET JIMMY’S
BIGGEST FAN:
AKBAR
GBAJABIAMILA
Akbar Gbajabiamila — retired NFL player and host of
“American Ninja Warrior” (ANW) — is a huge fan of Jimmy
Choi. On ANW, Akbar’s job is to cheer on each contestant
of the infamous obstacle course. But rooting for Jimmy
took on a special meaning as Akbar’s father also lives
with Parkinson’s. During a Facebook Live conversation,
Akbar shared that Jimmy’s run has inspired him to deepen
his involvement with the PD community. And it’s also
motivated him to push himself further physically as an
athlete: “What’s my excuse? I can’t have one.”
21
Fall/Winter 2017