Ofra Marek

Hi,

I am Ofra Marek, 53 years old. Mother of Amit (25), Yuval (22) and Roni (14), married to Yoav. Professionally, a private English teacher.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's about 6 years ago, after dealing with primary tremor for many years. Since the diagnosis, it has been clear to me that I do not waste unnecessary energy hiding and will do everything to maintain a normal life with a high quality of life.

The main change I made was changing my approach to sports and turning it into a source of healing (and to be precise, prevention of deterioration) and a significant source of mental empowerment.

I started running, walking, I continued to play volleyball as a runner in the Mamant league, Pilates classes on a regular basis and I added table tennis training on an almost daily basis. For the first three years, I refused to be exposed to other Parkinson's contenders for fear that the encounter would make me feel bad. From the moment I started playing table tennis, I was exposed to many wonderful competitors and I was surprised to find that they help me manage alongside the Parkinson's, are a listening ear for me and I for them.

There, the desire to accompany other new colleagues on the journey, to expose them to the abundance of existing alternatives, and to continue living an active, rich, optimistic and full life was planted in me.

My motto he is “carpe diem” which is also engraved by - "Live the day, wait a moment".

You can contact Ofra by email: markyo@walla.com