We hear from US-based Jimmy Choi about going viral on TikTok, tackling fitness challenges – and inspiring online audiences to ask questions about Parkinson’s
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your experience of Parkinson’s.
I’m a 48-year-old self-proclaimed ‘fitness junkie’ who lives in Chicago, Illinois, US. I have a lovely family, including my wife of 23 years and two children. They are my inspiration and drive in life.
At the age of 27, I was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s. Receiving this news was truly devastating and, like many people of that age, I didn’t know how to handle it. I immediately went into hiding and closed myself off for several reasons – one being that I wanted to further my career to ensure that my family would be financially supported in the future.
I spent the majority of my working years in the tech sector but now I’m retired. Today, I spend my time as a motivational speaker for the Parkinson’s community and engaging with the fitness community through social media.
I started my fitness journey around 11 years ago. Since then, I’ve completed several challenges, including marathons, an ultra-marathon and a stint on the sports entertainment show ‘American Ninja Warrior’ – and I’ve broken three Guinness World Records.
Tell us about your TikTok channel. Why did you start it?
When the pandemic hit and the gyms closed, I – like many others – had nothing else to do besides try to stay fit at home. That’s when I started my TikTok channel, ‘jcfoxninja’.
One day, my kids and I were scrolling through TikTok when we came across a load of fitness-related content – creators were coming up with unique ways to keep fit. For example, strength trainers would lift family members or pets and rock climbers would find challenging ways to climb the stairs. I decided to create a ‘duet’ – a side-by-side video showing my attempt to complete a challenge compared with someone else’s.
When people watch my videos, they see my tremors and my shaking, and they sometimes ask me questions about it. So, I took this as a great opportunity to educate the public about Parkinson’s – whether it’s sharing interesting facts or describing what my body goes through with the condition.
What kind of TikTok videos do you create?
I post a lot about fitness. I always say that if I can convince just one person to be active – to get out of the house, go outside, stay active – I will have done my job. My first viral TikTok was a video of me participating in the ‘50 Push Up Challenge’ and my channel has taken off ever since – I’ve amassed around nine million likes on my videos!
Exercise aside, I like to post about my other hobbies, which include cooking. There’s a lot of hand-eye coordination involved in the kitchen – especially when it comes to using kitchen tools. And nutrition and diet are really important to living well with the condition.
I also share content about my family and the moments that I share with them. Each of these topics provides a different insight into my everyday experience of living with Parkinson’s – and also shows audiences how I overcome certain situations.
How has the Parkinson’s community responded to your TikTok videos?
The response from the Parkinson’s community has been overwhelming – so many people have reached out to ask for advice or anecdotes.
What has also been surprising is the number of people from the fitness community who have gotten in touch – along with people facing some kind of adversity on their own journey. They say: ‘Wow, I really need to adopt this same positive mindset’ or ‘I don’t have Parkinson’s, but I really should apply this to what I’m trying to achieve in my own life’.
One highlight was a video I created about medications – particularly about how difficult it can be for a person with tremors to access pills in a medicine bottle. The video went viral, and other creators started sharing ideas which then translated into computer drawings of pill bottles that could better support people with the condition. The 3D printing community jumped in to show their support and, within a couple of days, I had a few of these newly designed bottles sent to me.
It was incredible that one viral social media post inspired the creation of an actual product to help people with the condition retrieve their pills more easily.
What are your future goals for TikTok?
I think it will be really important to take the whole Parkinson’s awareness aspect to the next level. If we put Parkinson’s aside for a minute – from a fitness perspective, a 48-year-old like me is going to have more difficulties doing exercise-related activities. If you add Parkinson’s on top of that, it will get harder as you age and the condition progresses.
This year, my focus will be to shift into the wellness space, covering important topics such as lifestyle changes and wellbeing. I also want to branch out and create videos that help people who don’t live with Parkinson’s to understand what it might feel like.
This might involve using a specific fitness move and comparing it to a symptom of the condition, like dyskinesia – a side effect of Parkinson’s medication in which the body becomes uncontrollable. People could do this move to get a sense of what it might feel like to live with Parkinson’s.
Hopefully, people who don’t have a connection to the condition can see those videos and gain a little more compassion – not just for people with Parkinson’s, but for anybody dealing with some type of adversity.
On a personal level, my main goal moving forward is just to stay active and stay safe, so that I can continue spending time with my friends and my family – and raising awareness of Parkinson’s.
