UNSHAKEABLE PODCAST
Parkinson's Warrior Tim Lockard host Q&A sessions to bring awareness , hope and some laughs to the community until we can find a cure
UNSHAKEABLE PODCAST
Q & A with Jimmy Choi of American Ninja Warrior
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defying the odds to embark on a quest to win American Ninja Warrior while tackling Pd .
Unshakable. Unshakable. Carry the torch till we find a cure. Unshakable. Unshakable.
SPEAKER_03Hello, guys. Welcome to the Unshakable Podcast. Um, listen, I am absolutely honored. I've got such a huge guest today. Um, he to me is the definition of unshakable. Um, we could spend hours on all his accolades. Um, three-time fitness record holder, American Ninja Warrior, Guinness Book of World Records, motivational speaker. But what has always got me with this man is, and I sent him a message on the side, I told him this. Aside from his feats on American Ninja Warrior, the fact that he was on it and willing to put himself out there and show himself to this community, to the world, to me, was showed more strength than anything he's ever done. Um, so I'm truly honored, I'm humbled to have Mr. Jimmy choy on the show. Welcome, sir.
SPEAKER_02Hey, thank you, Tim. Thanks for having me. And uh, let's not oversell. I think people know people know that I'm a goofball on social media. And uh, you know what? That's a perfect, that's a that's a nice title for me to have, and I think let's keep it that way.
SPEAKER_03Well, well, he and it's funny you say that because that's actually what I want to do today with you. I think a lot of people look at you as the the superhero. Um, I want to peel the layers back. I'm gonna be honest with you. I want to take the cape off. I want to, I wanted people to know the the Clark Kent before you became Superman and how you got there. Because here's what I think. I think people read you wrong sometimes. I think people look at it like you were this unbelievable athlete and you're still doing it despite Parkinson's. And I think the story is much different than that. I mean, you you started where where we all are at the bottom with with Parkinson's, and you worked your way to the top. And I think if they know that story, you become a lot more real and relatable and inspiring to the common Parkinson's warrior. So I want to go there. Um if you could just briefly explain to people, because I know when I was diagnosed, I hate to say this, but I was basically given two things the word Parkinson's and a pamphlet, and I was on my way. It was that was it. And that scared the hell out of me. Um tell me a little bit about some of your early symptoms, and and if you don't mind sharing that moment you were diagnosed, how you felt.
SPEAKER_02Sure. Um, you know, I was diagnosed at a very young age, uh, age 27. Um, and to tell you the truth, everything that I was feeling back then could be explained away through a life of a 27-year-old. Right. Um I was getting twitches here and there, and I always marked it off as stress from working. I mean, this is back then, this is back in the in in the days of the early dot com. There's a lot of stress to produce and to go IPO and do all that stuff, right? Um, and I was in tech. So stress can explain away all the the twitchiness and all that stuff. Um, and then but like other things like stiffness, and you know, stiffness and rigidity is probably my worst um uh symptoms, even to today. Um so like back then, you know, you just you wake up sore and you're like, oh well, you know, I played a round of golf yesterday, no big deal, right?
SPEAKER_03Just life.
SPEAKER_02It's just life. Everything could be explained away by life, right? Um, but I never put you in like hindsight is always 2020. Uh, you know, now that we know that you know early early uh symptoms include like sleep issues, like which I had back then, it included um, you know, like uh gut issues, like bowel movements and slowness, all that stuff was happening. I just I just never put it together. As a 20-something-year-old, who would think about Parkinson's? Um, so you know, and actually it was uh it was a a life insurance physical um where the nurse that did the physical for me told me, said, Hey Jimmy, I'm seeing things about you that's very familiar. My day job is in a neurology office, and she never said Parkinson's, she's never said any diagnosis, because she can't, right? She can't give that diagnosis, especially at an insurance physical. But she told me, like, hey, Jimmy, I've seen things in you that it's very very familiar to me. Um, so I suggest you talk to your doctor about, you know, she had me get up and move, she had me walk, she she explained, you know, like you know, some of the uh like lack of arm swing. She explained that my pupils were dilating at different rates on on each side. Um and so she was like, you know, go talk to your doctor about this. And then I started, so I did, and and uh eight months later, after uh orthopedic visits, neurology visits, um finally a movement disorder specialist took one look at me after three minutes and says, Jimmy, you've got Parkinson's, right?
SPEAKER_03A couple of quick tap tests and then you have Parkinson's.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, and and and and it wasn't that the tap test was like, okay, uh, was one thing, but it was as soon as I got up and walked, uh, you know, she's like walk down this, walk down the hall and back. And she I came back, she's like, Yeah, Jimmy, you got Parkinson's. Um, and and that was it. And I just remembered that that moment, it was it was shock. I I I think I swore at her. I was like, what the F are you talking about? Um But just like you said, just like many others with Parkinson's, I was given a pamphlet, pamphlet, and I was told you have Parkinson's. And and I was also told, hey, if you don't believe me, take this medication. If it helps you, then I'm right. Yeah, if it doesn't, we'll come back and explore other things. It's truly amazing, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Like the the way they diagnose it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh, and remember, this was this is 2000, this is back in 2003, so it was a long time ago. Um, but but that's that's exactly how it happened and how it went down.
SPEAKER_03And um let me ask you, like, and this is a tough subject for me. I get a little emotional when I say it, so I'm gonna try not to my my my first reactions were aside from shock and disbelief, I have three boys, um, and I look at it like, okay, what does this mean? I mean, am I not gonna be around to help them physically you know learn their sports or help them when they need fixing up in their first house? And that struck me. It wasn't even about me, it was about the people that needed me. Um, what was kind of your some I think I think I read I heard you say you didn't tell your family initially. What were some of your initial fears as far as what you thought what you thought once you got diagnosed?
SPEAKER_02So let me tell you this. I didn't have kids when I was diagnosed. I had just gotten married, right? I was a newlywed. And um my my fear was was whether or not my wife would have to one day, you know, be my primary caregiver. Um, and that was my fear. Um, and uh and and and the next eight years kind of uh fell into that notion because all I did was I put all of my energy, all of my focus into my career to make as much money as I can so that in the future my wife wouldn't have to worry about taking care of me. Um so my is that that's is I think you're you're you're it's very similar, right? I didn't have kids yet back then. And uh all I all I thought about was you know what my wife was going to have to deal with in the future. And I was told by by my neurologists um, you know, in follow-up visits that, hey Jimmy, you know, you you're gonna be in a wheelchair, you know, probably in like 10, 15 years. So do what you gotta do now to get things ready.
SPEAKER_03Well, clear clearly the joke is on them. You know, and you know, one of the things, and I I saw you said you did a lot of trials and you dove into trials, medical trials. And one of the things that struck me, because I'll be very honest with you on this podcast, I was I was there. Um, not with the trials, but where your mental state was. I heard that you said that you almost selfishly didn't care how the trials went because you were so depressed. I was there, I was in that dark place where I didn't care if I woke up the next day because I didn't know how good I was gonna be to anybody or even myself. Um how do you dig yourself out of that to say what led you to say, all right, enough? I gotta, I gotta fight.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's um it's it's it's very it's it's a very selfish way. Um if actually if I think about it, like going back, um, the way that I dealt with it was all very selfish. It was it was all about um, you know, I need to earn more money. Uh yeah, it was at the end of the day, the the ultimate goal was to make sure my family wouldn't have to take care of me. That's not selfish. But it's that's not selfish. But then, you know, the the whole everything about it up to that point is because um as you mentioned, like uh depression, that's a that's a big that's a big part of it. Um and I was getting angry at just everything. When I when we finally had kids, man, I was screaming at the kids for no reason. A little kid spilling milk is it's par for the course, right? It's every day. But I just remember just screaming at my daughter um for like and and like trying to stop, like thinking to myself, why am I screaming? I I couldn't. Um, but I was just so angry at the world. And um what changed was and and I've told this story before, I I fell down the stairs um carrying my my 10-month-old son. It was it was that moment um that I realized that I was becoming a safety issue for my kids and I was a becoming a uh um a burden to my wife. So the whole selfish thing kind of the whole selfish thought is still there because now I wanna I want to make better decisions for my family. But one of the better decisions that I thought I was making was was getting in involved with clinical trials. And just like you said, I was reckless, right? I signed up for it without reading the fine print. And when they said, Jimmy, yeah, you I think we think you're a candidate, come on in. I went. I didn't didn't care what it was. I showed up and I'm like, what do you what do you want to do to me? Because if and and the this is the selfish part of it, is that if if the if there was a cure, I'd be the first to get it. Me first, right? But if there wasn't and something happened and I died, that would not have been the worst thing for me.
SPEAKER_03I'd be good personally, myself.
SPEAKER_02I think that's one of the reasons why sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off, but that's one of the reasons why I signed up for one after another, after another, after another, you know. But the the the end result of that was that these clinical trials taught me a lot about Parkinson's.
SPEAKER_03Well, and I can I can imagine because you know you obviously had a that I'm sure it started with the fall down the stairs, you changed your mindset. Um, but you know, you I you said something very interesting to me. You said you've always worked, um, let me get this right. You've always worked within your limitations and not like beyond them. And I find that troubling myself because who knows what that is. I mean, I'll be very honest with you. Yesterday, I thought I was having a good day and I I went to the gym and set back. Like, how do you know what your limitations are when you're when you first start going?
SPEAKER_02You push, you you you push until you break, right? That's how you know. You you learn from your mistakes, you learn from experience, right? So um I just kept pushing. I kept pushing every day. I I mean I I I mentioned this before in in other areas, and I always talk about, I ask myself the question of what can I do today that's more than yesterday. I'm not kidding about that, you know. I I I honestly, like today, like you know, for example, when I was still learning how to walk again, still walking with a cane, I remember getting down to my neighbor's mailbox, which is, I don't know, 40 meters away, right? And I get there, and then I'm like, holy crap, this is so hard, right? And I turn around and went home. But then tomorrow I'm like, hey, can I get to can I get past that? Can I get to the tree after the mailbox? Um, so I just kept pushing the limits. And and that's how you know where your limits are, is if you don't keep pushing it, right? How do you know where you are? And then if, and here's the thing that that that really um one of uh one of the things that really uh uh is a pet peeve of mine is is is watching people say that, oh I exercise, I do this, right? But what they're doing is like 10% of their potential.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_02And I can see it, I can see it, yeah. But they're just happy because I've gone to the gym and I put in my rest.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like a check mark. I went to the gym, but you you know better than anybody, you know, you gotta push yourself.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. And and I and I think that's that's what I mean by working within your limits. You also have to know where your limits and you gotta and and you gotta continuously push yourself. One of the things that I definitely do not recommend people do without uh you know checking with their care team, uh, is that every once in a while, and I'm just sharing this as an experience, right? So don't do this at home.
SPEAKER_03He's not a doctor, he just plays one on TV.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Yeah. Um and and then and I'm I'm emailed a script every day. But no, every once in a while I will go into the gym in a controlled environment and I will work out completely without medication and completely off.
SPEAKER_03In an off period.
SPEAKER_02In my off period, completely off. And the reason I do that is because I need to know what I am truly capable of when I am stuck in a situation where I have no access to medication, where I might be in, you know, like I don't know, yeah, or in quarantine for some reason. Right? Um for days. Uh so I need to know what my limits are, and I need to know what I can do so that I know when to ask for help and I know when I might get myself in trouble.
SPEAKER_03Now you have to just brought up something very big and that I wanted to ask you personally. Um, I've been figured trying to figure this out for four or five years now with the medications. I obviously there's so many next steps that I don't really want to get into with DBS and all that fun stuff. But as far as the meds, I personally think that the biggest thing isn't the gut. Uh, I'm certainly not a doctor, but obviously, medications and diet have to have a huge role in how they affect your body. And I don't think I'm there yet. Um, what does Jimmy Choi, what does a diet look like for him and medications as far as timing? Not your day, but what do you eat and how much time before and after do you eat?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, how how how long is this podcast? Because I can honestly go on for for days.
SPEAKER_03Um but is there like a general type of diet or things you day you have to stay away from, or things you so I will say this.
SPEAKER_02Um, every diet that's been mentioned or studied for Parkinson's, I've done it. Okay. Mind diet, Mediterranean diet, keto diet, um uh uh um uh uh intermittent fasting, right? Um I I I wouldn't say I wouldn't say like uh uh what is the the um the caveman diet.
SPEAKER_03Well I saw you with a big pizza on Instagram the other day.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, you know, so so whatever it is, and I tried it. And I'm gonna tell you that when I try something, I give it a fair share. Okay. So for example, keto I did for 10 months. Okay. Mediterranean and and mind diet and all that stuff. Um, and I will say that Mediterranean and mind diet are the most studied diet when it comes to brain health. So I still I still use like the principles of both of those diets today. But at the end of the day, uh for me is I just try to stay clean. Yeah, I know I share a lot of Instagram photos where, especially recently, right? Um, you know, with with like like P Jelly, you said the giant pizza.
SPEAKER_04It's okay.
SPEAKER_02You know what? You know what? That's that's life. You know, but I I I follow the 90-10 rule. 90% of the time I try to eat as clean and as healthy as I possibly can. And 10% is life. You know what? I'm hanging out with my kids and they want ice cream, shh, you know, heck, uh give me ice cream, right? Um, but I'm not gonna beat myself up for eating something processed or eating something sugary, you know.
SPEAKER_03I'm just gonna go you're trying to live.
SPEAKER_02Um yeah, and then I'm just gonna go right back to that 90% where it's clean, eating clean, no processed foods, um and uh not highly restrictive. Because this is what I learned about 20, you know, 22, almost 23 years living with Parkinson's, doing all of these different diets and these different things. This is what I learned. If it's not sustainable, you're not gonna stick to it. Right? So if you're getting on a diet that's highly restrictive and your lifestyle doesn't allow you to do that, you're not gonna stick to it. It's not gonna work. And if it's not gonna work, what are you really doing? Right? Parkinson's changed the Parkinson's diagnosis, changed my life. I need to make meaningful life changes. And if I can only do something for a few months at a time, and then I gotta start all over again.
SPEAKER_03What's the point?
SPEAKER_02That's not a life change, right? So um, but people want to do keto, people want to do carnivore, and it helps them. Do people want to do fasting that helps them? By all means, do it. All I'm saying is when people ask me the question about diet, is that I stay clean, I stay balanced, um, and it's something that's sustainable as a lifestyle change over a long period of time.
SPEAKER_03All right, so so now we got our diagnosis, we got our mind right, um, we got our meds right. For the common person that watches you uh doing these tremendous feats on TV but wants to know where you, you know, okay, where'd you start? Now I I I get up today, I want to do some basic stuff, I want to go to the gym without killing myself. Where do I start?
SPEAKER_02Um, so you're you're you're asking like like Kane walking Jimmy, where I started, right?
SPEAKER_03Where did Kane walking Jimmy, you know, go into the mailbox and coming back? Where what's the next step?
SPEAKER_02So it it you know what it's it's it's finding um small wins, right? Knowing exactly where you are. We talked about setting limits, right? Knowing exactly where you are. Let's be let's be honest with ourselves, right? Because uh Kane walking 250-pound Jimmy uh isn't going to be running marathons. So let's be honest. What what am I capable of? And I'm not gonna certainly not gonna compare myself to who I was 15, 10 years before, right? We all age. Um, but you know, like understand movement. So where I started was physical therapy, occupational therapy, uh, speech therapy. People ask me, like, you speak well, yeah, because I've been doing speech therapy for the last 10 years.
SPEAKER_03And I have in the loud program?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, LSBT loud, yep. And LSBT Big is where I started with physical therapy. And um, so you know, like it's it's knowing where to start. You are not going to pick up 300 pounds right from the get-go, right? Um, and people look as oh, well, you know, I uh Jimmy, you can do all these push-ups and all these pull-ups and things like that. Like, you know, I'm like, I can't even do and say things like I can't even do a girl push-up. First of all, what the hell is a girl push-up, right? Do you mean a push-up on your knee? No such thing as a girl push-up. I don't care who you are, a push-up is a push-up. And I don't care what variation you're doing, on your knees or elevated, a push-up is a push-up, but you know that's where you are, right? That's where I started, right? That's where I started. So um, you're not gonna get to, and and and I'm not saying everybody needs to get to where I am, but you're not gonna get to the next level without first like taking that first step, right?
SPEAKER_03And like you said, it doesn't happen overnight, but yeah, I want you to touch upon the one more theory because you you talk a lot about that. Um, because the but the way I get it is you you're trying to push yourself to do more the next day of something, even if it's one more push-up. Now, the way I view that is the offset there is if there's something that I can't do, I'm still trying to stay positive with knowing I'm pushing myself in another area. I think it's more of a mental thing, at least for me. What is get tell me a little bit more about your your one more theory?
SPEAKER_02So this is how this is for me, this is how it works. You the the one more theory isn't always about uh, you know, like adding another pound to your to your to your ER to your PR, right? It isn't about doing another extra push-up. Um what it actually is is and it's okay to fail, right? It's because if it if it you if if you don't achieve it today, that's okay. You come back. There's two things that I want to achieve. Number one is to make sure I keep coming back. Yes, right. If if I don't get it today, I'm gonna come back and try to get it tomorrow, right? But at the same time, when I say more today than yesterday, notice it's not specific, right? It could be anything that's more today than yesterday. Maybe I can eat another pound of ice cream today. That's more than yesterday, right? That's a win. That's a win. That's a win. But no, seriously though, um, you know, it doesn't always have to be a specific item that you're working on. But you know, if you're you're looking at your overall um yeah overall like health in terms of movement.
SPEAKER_03Improving somewhere.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You make you make a gain somewhere, you try to make a gain somewhere, but you know what? Um, like on days that we all have where apathy just kicks your ass, right? And you don't want to go to the gym, more today is getting into the gym, right? That is getting into the gym. Doing the workout when you're when when your medicine isn't working, that is more than you would have done.
SPEAKER_03Well, listen, what was it that the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu he said every great every great mile starts with the first step? You have to you have to get up and take the step. If it you know, you gotta be there to to do it. Yep. So look here's a weird question, and I don't I apologize if anybody's ever asked you this. For me, I can go to all the physical therapists I want, all the neurologists I want, and they can tell me what I need to do. They don't have Parkinson's, they don't know my body. Um, I think it's different when somebody tells you what to do, but they don't know how my body works.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03Have you ever thought about, obviously with your background, putting out some kind of video for somebody who listen, put the disclaimer, I'm not a doctor or whatever, but I think you would be absolutely perfect knowing the way the body moves with Parkinson's about like some kind of exercise video. I mean, have you ever thought about that?
SPEAKER_02So I do I do have a lot of videos where I sh uh, you know, I have a series I put out on Instagram where I tell people, you know, uh if I were a trainer or a physical therapist, this is what I want you to know, right? And and I talk about movement patterns and then things like that. In fact, I I put one out this morning. Um so the one of the guy trying to jump on your back at the gym. No, not that one. But you know, I I I I do put those videos out. Um and and and and I and I and I hope it helps people understand what it's like to move in in a in a body from a person with Parkinson's and and who understands movement, right? Um at the same time, yeah, I I it a lot of people ask me, you know, why don't you put out like videos all the time? Like essentially becoming a virtual trainer of some kind. And here's here and here's the thing. I would love to. I would love to do that, um, but I've got I've got family. Yeah, but I've got to take care of the things that I need to take care of, right? Um, you know, I talk about guilt um uh last week um on a video that I made. And I would love to be able to talk to everybody that wants to talk to me. I would love to be able to train people on a one-on-one basis that when they ask. But I just don't, I there's no way I there, I there's no way I can put that in.
SPEAKER_03How much hours in the day, Joey?
SPEAKER_02There's not there's not not enough, right? And um, and uh, you know, if if I if I did that, right, and it it's it it's there there's nothing for me to do anything anywhere else, which is my priorities are my my my family and and and everybody should be.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but here's another thing that I don't think people realize because when we think of you and we go online and and and on and all your unbelievable feats of strength that we see, people don't realize you're still the like us. I mean, you still go home. I'd imagine you still have the day-to-day problems like tying a shoe or buttoning a button. I mean, am I stepping out of line there? Or is that true? I mean, do you still handle those things poorly, like the like most of us do? I mean, yeah, pretty much, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Tying shoes, buttoning buttons, uh, brushing my teeth, combing my hair. Uh, you know, these are these are all things that um that people can do without training, right? Um, and yet, you know, the I can do all the training, people can do all the training they want in the gym and do the same things that I do in terms of the the power movements and all that stuff. People can train to do that. But we are people who live with Parkinson's, we don't it doesn't matter how much we train, we're gonna have difficulty with these tasks where other people don't have to train to do well. I agree.
SPEAKER_03Okay, we're gonna get you out of here soon, but I have two more questions I want to ask you because I think they're very important. Um the first one is me personally with Parkinson's, and not to jump back to when we first diagnosed, but I I dove into the community, uh not the community, um, like information. And I didn't like it when I first got diagnosed. I was afraid of what it looked like. I went to Rock City boxing classes and I was at a bunch of elderly people, and and I felt like it was to look into my future, and it depressed the hell out of me. I'm not gonna lie to you. But what I did realize is I found this beautiful, beautiful Parkinson's community, and I realized that I got more from them than any doctor could ever give me because everybody's different. Everybody's gonna you're gonna see things that affect people in different ways. So I think it's important that people need to know. Don't shy away from from the good and the bad. You have to dive in and and get into this community, talk to people. Um, because it's about not getting to that point. It's about fighting to not get to that point. I mean, how were you initially when did you do did you kind of like deny information? Did you dump in? What was that like?
SPEAKER_02Just so so let's let's also put something in perspective here. When I was diagnosed, it was 2003. There's no Google back then.
SPEAKER_03Well, yeah, true.
SPEAKER_02Right? Um, I think Yahoo was was still pretty new. We were people were asking Jeeves if you remember that, right? Um, so you know, back then there was it it was I couldn't get online and dig in. However, I did um avoid everything. The denial was a big part of my first eight years. And let me tell you, um from the point like the the initial like blockade of information, I guess, right? Yeah, I didn't want to learn about it. Um, one of the things is that I did go to a a support group, right? Remember, nothing was online back then, right? So I did go to a support group in person and I did see people see people much older than me and in the state, and it just was just depressing. Everybody was complaining. It was just depressing, and I'm like, I don't ever want to do that again. However, um in 2012, uh, you know, uh I started when I finally started sharing my story when I was trying to run a Chicago Marathon for the first time, uh, then I came across the community that you're talking about, right? I came across people who are more like-minded. And it was only then until I realized that you know, exposing uh myself and having the exposure of everybody in this community um not only broadened my vision and and and the experiences that I have, but at the same time, it allowed me to find people who are like-minded. It allowed me to find people who look like me, who are similar ages, similar life um, you know, uh uh stages, right? And that I think was was more important. You're not alone. You're and it to finding out that you are not alone. And I still have so many people uh you know reaching out to me these days and say, hey, you know, I've never met a person uh I'm like like like you, my age, you know, being diagnosed at such a young age, and uh and and I can't find them. And then immediately I start sending them uh in Instagram pages to other people who are just like me.
SPEAKER_03Well, to me, the the the last big question I'm gonna close on, because I think it's probably the most important, is where where do we go from here? Um, I I have my Fox MVP rig bracelets, I wear them proudly every day. I I wear this like a jersey, like a badge of honor. I firmly believe that Michael J. Fox and his story and his foundation have kept me alive to some degree. I truly mean it. People like you, and I know you don't want me to oversell it, and I'm not, but you give me hope that you started where I was. I could get I'm not gonna be Jimmy Chuck, nobody else is, but I could be the best version of myself. There's somewhere to start and somewhere to go. Um, but I firmly believe that the Fox Foundation has opened doors for me. And and I've never gone to a Fox Foundation event where I didn't leave filled with hope and wanting to do more. Um they've sent me to Washington, I mean, to to advocate. They're such an amazing organization. What is what have they meant to Jimmy Choi?
SPEAKER_02Huh? Well, um I I I think just like you said, it's an eye-opening experience. Um for me, it was that I'm gonna go back to that Chicago Marathon. That was my first exposure to the Fox Foundation because I ran uh on a charity bib from the Fox Foundation, right? Um, but up to that point, I hadn't done anything, any community outreach. I haven't done anything. I just started exercising and then when I was ready to run a marathon, I I signed up and they're like, okay, you got to raise a thousand, you know, two thousand dollars for research. And I did, I raised like I ended up raising like five thousand dollars, but um, but I I I create I I created that connection that I didn't have. I started sharing my story to those of those people around me, my my inner circle, so that they better understand exactly what I was dealing with. And I removed like that elephant in the room every time we were together. Um I was connected to this community, and people are telling me, you know, how much uh encouragement they're getting from hearing my story of going from a cane to running a marathon. And I realized that when I accepted the bib to the time that I ran, it was only it's only it was only four weeks. It was a month.
SPEAKER_03You raised that amount that quick amount amount of money. Yeah, short time. Wow.
SPEAKER_02So I realized that in that four weeks of time, I did more for me, the community, and and the Parkinson's um, you know, story around me than I did in my first eight years combined, right? That's empowering. It makes you want to do more. Absolutely. And I I want people to know this about the Fox Foundation because I get this all the time. People ask me, hey, you know, what exactly are they doing? We don't have a career. I was like, well, yeah, we don't we we don't have a career. But really, what the foundation is doing is there are people who are out there looking to the Fox Foundation for for help like on on uh uh on everyday things like how do I get to a clinic or whatever, right? The Fox Foundation's sole purpose is on research, right?
SPEAKER_03They have resources, they they get they have a ton of resources you can go online and find.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Um, but you know, if you're looking for help, there are other foundations like they've pretty foundations like Davis Finney or Parkinson's Foundation or Brian Grant um where where they can help you with those issues. But the stuff yeah, Fox Foundation is is truly focused on research. And if you look at, and I want people to understand this, if you look at uh where Fox Foundation started 25 years ago to today, right? Um they were willing to fund all the little things that no one else was willing to that got us to where we are today. Progress isn't gonna happen overnight. I think we all know that by now. Um, but I want to tell you the story because not a lot of people actually know this story, is that um, you know, today we know that alpha's nuclear can be imaged, alpha's nuclear can be seen, we can measure it now, right? And we all know Alpha's nuclear is one of the big breakthroughs that's happened in the last five years in the world of Parkinson's. But it none of that happened until we can finally image it. So back in the days in the mid-2 uh in the mid-20 um tens and twelves and thirteens, um, we were still trying to figure out how to image alpha's nuclear. Okay. Someone said, hey, uh someone hypothesized that, hey, you know what? I think we might be able to see it better in zero gravity. Okay. And everyone was like, this is crazy. But what did the Fox Foundation do? Fox Foundation paid to have samples sent up to the International Space Station to have experiments done to see whether or not they can image it, right? Um no one was going to find out. Now, it didn't prove that it helped, even so, but we didn't know. We didn't know until it was done, right? So I just want to let people know that that you know, people who are are are desperately waiting for something to happen, right? Um, this is why it's taking so long, but the foundation is willing to do, like go outside of the box. And it's because of that effort that I know that they're willing to do that. That keeps me engaged. That this is the this is the the the type of organization that I want to get involved in because they're willing to take these risks, they're willing to take make the steps that we need.
SPEAKER_03So people, scientists and researchers will answer the phone when they get the call from Fox Foundation.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. And you know, and and that's that and that's what the foundation means to me is that I know, and especially knowing knowing the man himself, uh, I know that there's nothing that's going to stop correct stop the organization from moving forward.
SPEAKER_03Now tell the audience quickly, how much have you and your family to this point from that race raised for for marketing research? Because I know the answer.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, since since since 2012 to to today is well over a million dollars. Yeah, it's uh you know, it's it's just it's just putting putting sort of like putting the money where my mouth is, right? I mean, that million dollars didn't come from me, it came from my efforts, friends, family, supporters, all over. And um, you know, but that's that's the that's the thing. I always say that I'm not rich enough to find a cure. I'm not smart enough to come up with a cure. So um the best thing that I can do is is help out, right? Whether it's getting participation in clinical trials or or raising money, whatever I can do, that's my way of pitching in.
SPEAKER_03But we said to everybody who's asked me, not everybody's gonna do a podcast, it's gonna be on American Ninja Warrior, but there's always a way to advocate within your comfort level, whether it's sending emails to your politicians or advocating is using telling your story and using your in your mouth. There's always a way to advocate. Um and I'm just gonna wrap this up. I've taken enough of your time, I guess you so greatly appreciate it. Two quick questions, I want one more to answer. Okay. Parkinson's has taken blank from Jimmy Choi, and Parkinson's has given blank to Jimmy Choi.
SPEAKER_02It's a tough one. Tough one. Um Parkinson's I'm gonna I'm gonna flip it around. Okay. Uh Parkinson's has given me grit.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02Um and it has that I think Parkinson's has taken away um man, this one is tough. Right?
SPEAKER_03I mean the easy very much from you because you have a mindset that it's not taking it, it's just different. You know, that's why that's why I wanted to ask you that.
SPEAKER_02It's this one is tough because you know, it it because I don't want to mislead people, right? It has it has taken a great deal. But at the end of the day, the journey that I've had um has been the way you are has has returned so much. Um you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I I've said I don't know, man. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy. Absolutely. But I know that Parkinson's has given me so much that I wouldn't trade this version of me for any version in the past. I'm a better person. It's taught me how short life is and how helping people is good. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. I don't I would rather not have the shakes, but but I wouldn't trade what it's turned me into for the for the world.
SPEAKER_02I I'll I'll put it this way. You know, um, would I be an American Ninja Warrior? Would I would would I have world records if I'd never had Parkinson's? No. Probably not. No, I wouldn't.
SPEAKER_03Well, God bless you for doing it. So so listen, in the movie, what's what's the name when they tell the Jimmy Choice story? What's the name? What's the movie name gonna be and who's playing you? Because I'm I'm gonna get Ryan Reynolds to play me in your movie, so you can't pick him.
SPEAKER_02Um man, you asked some tough ones, man. Uh so i i if there's ever a movie uh a movie that's that would be made, um God, I don't know. I don't know who would play me. There's no there there there's nobody there's nobody handsome enough to play me, I don't think.
SPEAKER_03I'm not gonna I'm not gonna argue with that.
SPEAKER_02No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
SPEAKER_03Um no, it's you know it's it's at no Brad Pitt or or or Mark Wahlberg's.
SPEAKER_02Oh no, you know what? You know what? I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna go the other way. Um you know that the the the movie would be something very much very similar to Rudy, I think.
SPEAKER_03You know, um if I personally think you should play yourself, and I think it should be called unshakable because then we have a title song for you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the song that you're working on, that's great, man.
SPEAKER_03Sometimes music can heal, man, and whatever we can do to get the word out.
SPEAKER_02But you know, I was a pudgy little kid, you know, um and and uh that that that kind of that kind of bloomed and awkward little kid that that that that grew up. But so you know the movie will be something like like Rudy. I don't know what it's gonna be called. I I actually don't I don't ever think about it, but um you know I just I think and and and I would find I would find an unknown pudgy little kid out there to play Jimmy Chan.
SPEAKER_03I'm the former me. I'll do it. So listen, Ben, I am gonna let you go. Um I cannot tell you what an honor it was to have you on. Um I really think this was such a great podcast. I think people are gonna get information that they're gonna see you in a little bit of a different light. That listen, you weren't just born American Ninja Warrior, um, and you're holding on to your you you you built yourself through Parkinson's to that point. And I find it truly amazing. I'm inspired by your story and where you started from and where you are now. God bless you and your family for all you do for Parkinson's research. Um, obviously everybody knows Jimmy if you don't JC Fox Ninja and everywhere online. And listen, until next time, remember Parkinson's may shake you, but it doesn't define you. So stay unshakable. Thank you all. Thank you, Jimmy, so much.
SPEAKER_02Hey, thanks, Tim.
SPEAKER_00Jimmy took a single step, and and and it turned into a walk, and it turned into a run and a jog, and then and then he next thing you knew he was racing. The foundation gives people a chance to engage, and engagement is empowerment.