Ontario, Calif. (April 9, 2007) — Todd Bischoff wants each day to be one more day he is able to push his Parkinson’s disease into the background and live life on his terms. Saturday, April 28, he will join thousands of families, friends, and caregivers in the Parkinson’s Unity Walk, the largest grassroots fundraiser for Parkinson’s research in the United States.
“Parkinson’s disease does not have me, and I am going to New York to show that people can live with PD and still do many of the things they love,” said Bischoff.
As an athlete and an actor who depends on his body for his livelihood, Bischoff was shocked when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 46. He was accustomed to addressing hardship in his life by physically working hard and working out. He decided to make his body his ally instead of the enemy and turn to his positive attitude.
Exercise is one of his primary motivators. Bischoff currently goes to the gym four to five days a week. He has made some concessions to PD. Gone are the long hours on the hockey ice that occupied his life for more than 40 years. Instead, he inline skates outside his Ontario home. He has even taken up tennis, which he calls “an adventure and a challenge.”
He is attending the Parkinson’s Unity Walk with his wife, Joyce, as one of the five winners of the AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets) “My Exercise” essay contest. He hopes to carry the message that staying active can be an important tool in staying positive and managing PD.
“I believe that I am able to stay involved in the things I love because I exercise regularly,” said Bischoff. “Whatever you can do to maintain mobility is important.”
Bischoff also has worked as an actor on such popular shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ER. His favorite acting jobs, however, were the roles he played in independent films. Bischoff now is using his experience as an actor and radio personality to play a new role: that of a PD patient. Currently, he travels to schools, universities, community centers, and city organizations to speak about living with PD. He’s even started his own Web site, www.pdtalks.com, which has more information about Bischoff and his battle with PD.
People underestimate what you can do when you are living with PD,” Bischoff said. “I hope people hearing about the thousands of people walking in the Unity Walk in Central Park will see that we are serious about helping find a cure and we plan to live well with PD until that day comes.”
Media Contacts:
Holly Gibson
Fleishman-Hillard
816-512-2349
gibsonh@fleishman.com
Liz Dunavant
Fleishman-Hillard
816-512-2246
liz.dunavant@fleishman.com
Ontario, Calif. (April 9, 2007) — Todd Bischoff wants each day to be one more day he is able to push his Parkinson’s disease into the background and live life on his terms. Saturday, April 28, he will join thousands of families, friends, and caregivers in the Parkinson’s Unity Walk, the largest grassroots fundraiser for Parkinson’s research in the United States.
“Parkinson’s disease does not have me, and I am going to New York to show that people can live with PD and still do many of the things they love,” said Bischoff.
As an athlete and an actor who depends on his body for his livelihood, Bischoff was shocked when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 46. He was accustomed to addressing hardship in his life by physically working hard and working out. He decided to make his body his ally instead of the enemy and turn to his positive attitude.
Exercise is one of his primary motivators. Bischoff currently goes to the gym four to five days a week. He has made some concessions to PD. Gone are the long hours on the hockey ice that occupied his life for more than 40 years. Instead, he inline skates outside his Ontario home. He has even taken up tennis, which he calls “an adventure and a challenge.”
He is attending the Parkinson’s Unity Walk with his wife, Joyce, as one of the five winners of the AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets) “My Exercise” essay contest. He hopes to carry the message that staying active can be an important tool in staying positive and managing PD.
“I believe that I am able to stay involved in the things I love because I exercise regularly,” said Bischoff. “Whatever you can do to maintain mobility is important.”
Bischoff also has worked as an actor on such popular shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ER. His favorite acting jobs, however, were the roles he played in independent films. Bischoff now is using his experience as an actor and radio personality to play a new role: that of a PD patient. Currently, he travels to schools, universities, community centers, and city organizations to speak about living with PD. He’s even started his own Web site, www.pdtalks.com, which has more information about Bischoff and his battle with PD.
People underestimate what you can do when you are living with PD,” Bischoff said. “I hope people hearing about the thousands of people walking in the Unity Walk in Central Park will see that we are serious about helping find a cure and we plan to live well with PD until that day comes.”
Media Contacts:
Holly Gibson
Fleishman-Hillard
816-512-2349
gibsonh@fleishman.com
Liz Dunavant
Fleishman-Hillard
816-512-2246
liz.dunavant@fleishman.com