I have taken the liberty of copying this post from my dear friend Brian Melick

Wanted to share this information with everyone. On this past July, I had the absolute pleasure to meet and record for Nenad Bach, a Croatian- American musician, and rock star.

Nenad has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We recorded a beautiful song entitled “I Love Ping Pong / If I Had Another Life” that Nenad wrote for the Anthem of the 1st Annual International Table Tennis Championship for people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease (PwP) under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation. Nenad and his organization are incredibly inspiring. I feel honored and blessed to have been lucky enough to meet and work with Nenad.

here is a link to Nenad’s Spotify Listing – please add it to your playlisthttps://open.spotify.com/search/results/nenad%20bach

Please take a few minutes and read below and explore some of the links to learn what amazing findings the medical world has found out through the physical activity of Ping Pong and those diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Please share this – It was sent to me from Nenad Bach
Thank you – Brian

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2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship, October 11th – 13th at the Westchester Table Tennis Center 175 Tompkins Ave, Pleasantville, New York

We are Ping Pong Parkinson, a 501c3 located at 175, Tompkins Avenue, Pleasantville, NY. Established on March 1, 2017, with the goal of halting the progression of Parkinson’s Disease by utilizing ping pong as a form of physical therapy. Our model is based on the concept of neuroplasticity – the brain’s capacity to make new neurons and connections through challenging physical exercise. Although medication remains the focus in the treatment for Parkinson’s, there is compelling evidence for the need for a regular exercise program in managing this disease. The original idea behind this commitment to help Parkinson patients (“Pongers”) attain an improved quality of life through exercise was inspired by two men: John Pepper, a South African who developed a system of lifestyle changes and physical training to reverse his Parkinson’s Disease, and Nenad Bach, a Croatian- American musician and rock star. Nenad had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and noticed that his motor symptoms and mood were improved by playing ping pong. This non-pharmacological approach to his treatment was encouraged by his neurologists who confirmed his improved status. Nenad subsequently recruited several volunteers from the club, including Will Shortz, the crossword editor of the New York Times and the owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Club; Dr. Art Dubow, who together with Nenad created the PPP program. The group meets every Wednesday at 7:30

Program Description

The first international table tennis championship for people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease (PwP) under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation will be held at a state-of-the-art facility, Westchester Table Tennis Center, in Pleasantville, New York on October 11-13, 2019. (The ITTF is the governing body for all national table tennis associations, of which 226 members represent practically every country and every continent of the world.) Ping Pong Parkinson (3P), our 501c group which meets weekly, is pleased and proud to be a co-sponsor of this tournament especially, since up to now, PwP’s have been chiefly bypassed and disqualified from entering para-table tennis events, including the Paralympic Games. The main reason for this unfortunate exclusion relates to the heterogeneous nature of the disease itself. It has been said that no two Parkinson patients are alike in their symptom presentation, and this has resulted in extreme difficulty in rating players in a fair and evenhanded manner. With the help of our board, club members and in association and thanks to the assistance of several neurologists, we feel we have resolved this conundrum. (Without going into great detail, we will be having 3 separate tournaments based on severity level) The PD tournament was conceived not only as a competitive contest but also as a means of drawing together people diagnosed with PD in a 3-day setting in order to promote Parkinson’s support, camaraderie and education

SOME LINKS:

Official Website:
https://pingpongparkinson.com/

VIDEO- Ping Pong Parkinson promo Dave Steck ITTF Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsUNkx75a94

International Table Tennis Federation -official site:
https://www.ittf.com/…/westchester-ready-entries-open-park…/

VIDEO by CBS New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hIWDNQe2HM

VIDEO- The official anthem for the 2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World TT Championships
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGlbR8gvPEI

Nenad Bach interview Butterfly 1 in Japanese
https://www.butterfly.co.jp/takurepo/interview/…/012985.html

Nenad Bach in German press
https://www.mytischtennis.de/…/medizin-tischtennis–ping-po…

VIDEO- Voice of America in Chinese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_K-pZ6Coiw&feature=youtu.be

VIDEO- Press Conference during the World Tennis Championship (April 2019-Budapest, Hungary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6iStOnwKCY&t=0s

Dominick Gagliano
Mario F Panzarino Jr.