Ping Pong, Parkinsons and the Art of Staying in the Game

Author Foreword

On July 22, 2015, I was told by a neurologist that I had early symptoms of Parkinson's disease. My immediate reaction was to laugh at the absurdity. "Are you sure?" I asked, "Aren't you going to send me for some tests?" I didn't remember what he said. The weary expression on his face told the tale. Outside his office, reality sank in. For a moment, I stood frozen in the bleak and empty hallway, didn't know what to do or where to go. My mind went blank. Should I tell someone the news? Whom should I call?

There was a mirror next to the elevator. I saw myself with a frozen expression, panic with open eyes. I caught the image of a sixty-eight-year-old man, living alone, and now wondering, "What's going to happen next?"

I realized I must become proactive. In addition to taking medication, I needed to exercise. In my research, I came upon articles about cycling, dancing, ping pong, and even boxing. My decision was easily made. I chose ping pong. With its demand on coordination, reaction time and stamina, the game would be ideal for people with Parkinson's. My hope was to use it to keep the disease outside the door.

Another idea came to me. I would also write down my experiences by keeping a journal for one hundred days. Writing would fulfill my creative needs and I would gain insight into my healing journey.

There is also a fantasy that the process follows an ancient alchemist's practice to make an elixir. One hundred days of intense observation, thrown into a cauldron, for transmutation. The elixir can be put in simple words, "Something good will happen." I am hopeful it will.

About the Author
Loh, Synn Kune: - Joseph Synn Kune Loh was born in China, grew up in Hong Kong and now resides in Vancouver, BC. He is an author, an artist, a poet and a songwriter. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.A. While doing graduate study in Cultural Psychology at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, a trip to Paris led to a change in career. Synn Kune then embarked on his new direction and attended Ontario College of Art in Toronto. After graduation he had his first solo exhibition in 1978 at Merton Gallery. Three decades of making art led to writing as a companion expression of creativity. He saw Poetry as an extension of his artistic creativity crafted into painting with words. He released a meditation CD Return to the Boundless Light; and a book of poetry titled A Journey to Camatkara (Alpha Glyph Press 2013). After being diagnosed with having early symptoms of Parkinson's Disease in 2015, he was inspired to take a proactive approach, using Ping Pong as exercise and a healing agent. Ping Pong, Parkinson's, and the Art of Staying in the Game is a journey of 100 days through his own Parkinson's Disease while visiting his wife, Dawn, with Huntington's Disease in a care home.For further information and to view Synn Kune's paintings, please visit his website at www.synnkuneloh.com