Your share could raise $30
Before you go, did you know that simply by sharing this campaign, you could help it raise $30? It's an effective way to support the cause.
No thanks- Pin it
- SubscribeUnsubscribe
- Embed
Navin Kumar hasn't added a story.
Hi there! My name is Navin Kumar (pronounced Nuh-VEEN KOO-mar) and I'm the first athlete in history to actively compete with Parkinson's Disease as I represent the USA in international table tennis competition as part of the Paralympic Program.
Nicknamed "The Bionic Man" in the table tennis world, I'm also a 5 time open heart surgery survivor with mechanical heart, pacemaker and other artificial components, and I play table tennis to inspire folks to play this sport for the wonderful health benefits, and also play table tennis for my survival. I have seen major improvement to my heart health and Parkinson's Disease, particularly with less muscle stiffness and super fast reflexes thanks to returning smashes of the ball at speeds in excess of 100mph.
I wasn't expected to survive any of my heart surgeries but with a positive outlook I've defied the odds my entire life. It's the DIFFICULT times in life and how you CHOOSE to deal with them that shape and define you and I've chosen to use my difficult experiences to inspire others to good health and have chosen to appreciate life and not take anything nor anyone for granted.
I made history in June 2015 as I competed at my first international table tennis tournament in Spain, followed by the Paralympic event at the U.S. Open in July 2015 in Las Vegas. In order for me to have a shot to compete in the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games, I will need to continue competing at these international table tennis tournaments at least once per year but no more than 3 tournaments per year.
The donated funds will be used to cover all my table tennis expenses for international tournaments in 2016, including tournament fees, room/board, airfare, coaching fees, and table tennis club membership fees. This will be a huge help to me and my family since without these donations I'd be unable to afford to compete and represent the USA as the first Parkinson's table tennis athlete in history at the Summer Paralympic games, so please help me make this dream of mine come true.
Please feel free to check out my recent NBC Television News Feature, 9 minute film documentary video put together by a filmmaker as well as the links to the Washington Post Newspaper article and other articles below:
NBC Television News Feature:
Newspaper/Online Features:
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/Features/2014/September/16/Navin-Kumar-Feature
http://btn.com/2015/08/07/btn-livebig-bionic-maryland-grad-has-the-heart-of-a-competitor/
http://terp.umd.edu/playing-from-the-mechanical-heart/
http://blog.uberpong.com/navin-kumar-bionic-man-table-tennis/
http://butterflyonline.com/beltway-plazas-table-tennis-challenge/
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Navin Kumar
Team USA
Highlights
See all activity31Activity
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.