EmPower-U event focused on awareness of Parkinson’s disease

August 13, 2019   By Julie Washington, The Plain Dealer

Jimmy Choi, who competed on "American Ninja Warrior," spoke at “EmPower-U: Taking Control of Parkinson’s Disease” at LaCentre in Westlake this past weekend. (Courtesy of The Cleveland Clinic)

WESTLAKE, Ohio — Jimmy Choi didn’t let a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s disease stop him from competing on the television show “American Ninja Warrior.”

Choi talked about how exercise has helped him manage his disease at “EmPower-U: Taking Control of Parkinson’s Disease” this past weekend in Westlake.

The free one-day event focused on ways that exercise can help people with Parkinson’s, a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and commonly causes tremors, stiffness or slow movement. There is no cure.

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, nearly 1 million Americans will live with this disease by 2020. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with it now.

Nearly 600 participants from across Northeast Ohio joined sessions on rehabilitation therapies and how to protect the brain through exercise. They also took part in exercise and wellness programs.

“EmPower-U” was sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, Medtronic and Acadia Pharmaceuticals.

Choi was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003 at age 27, according to his biography on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website. He has since become an advocate for Parkinson’s awareness, and a member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council.

Choi competed on “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC’s obstacle course competition, in 2017.

“I’ll keep challenging and pushing myself to be stronger,” he wrote in an online article. “I’ll keep running, biking and overcoming every obstacle to not let (Parkinson’s) rob me of time with my family and friends.”

Other special guests were David Zid, co-founder of Ohio Health Delay the Disease, a fitness program designed for people with this disease, and Dr. Benjamin Walter, medical director of the Deep Brain Stimulation Program and neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Nearly 600 participants from across Northeast Ohio joined sessions on rehabilitation therapies and how to protect the brain through exercise. They also took part in exercise and wellness programs. “Empower U” was sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, Medtronic and Acadia Pharmaceuticals. (Courtesy of The Cleveland Clinic)

https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/2019/08/empower-u-event-focused-on-awareness-of-parkinsons-disease.html