## Breadcrumb - [Home](/) - [Living with Parkinson's](/living-with-parkinsons) - [My PD Story](/living-with-parkinsons/stories) ## Breadcrumb - [Home](/) - [Living with Parkinson's](/living-with-parkinsons) - [My PD Story](/living-with-parkinsons/stories) # My PD Story ![todd_vogt](/sites/default/files/styles/470x550/public/images/todd_vogt.jpg?h=c9aea1bc&itok=GbIniFQL) People with PD ## Todd Vogt My story begins in the fall of 1992, when I joined the rowing team as a freshman at the University of Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York. I immediately fell in love with the sport, particularly the physical and mental challenge, and being on the water. As a rower, I loved the training, the team atmosphere, and the identity it provided me. I rowed all throughout college and continued to row competitively for several years after college. Recently I’ve been rowing at the Masters level, meaning as an adult with a job and other responsibilities. Things changed in the fall of 2017. I was doing my normal training and getting ready for a big race, the Head of the Charles, which takes place at the end of October in Boston. Something seemed different this fall. My rowing technique, which I spent years working on, felt wrong. I also felt unusually tired and weak. I shrugged it off and thought I was just getting old or needed to change my training. Unfortunately, the feeling of [fatigue](/library/fact-sheets/fatigue "Fatigue") didn’t improve and actually got worse. Then, in the spring of 2018 I developed a [tremor](/understanding-parkinsons/movement-symptoms/tremor "Tremor") in my left hand and foot, and my left arm would no longer swing when I walked. After seeing several doctors and having several [diagnostic tests](/understanding-parkinsons/getting-diagnosed "Getting Diagnosed"), I was diagnosed with [young-onset Parkinson’s disease](/understanding-parkinsons/what-is-parkinsons/young-onset-parkinsons "Young-Onset Parkinson's"). This was just before my 44th birthday. I didn’t know how to take that diagnosis at first. One of the first things I thought was that my days as a competitive rower were over. After several months of dwelling on things, I returned to rowing, albeit slower and more awkwardly than I’d like. ![todd_vogt-1](/sites/default/files/styles/1920px_wide/public/images/todd_vogt-1.jpg?itok=hwjNS_zm) During the spring of 2019, I reached out to USRowing, the governing body of rowing, inquiring about being designated as an adaptive or Paralympic rower, thinking it would allow me to compete in local races. I ended up getting invited to the Paralympic training camp in Boston in early June and eventually ended up in a two-person boat that raced at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria finishing in sixth place. My main symptoms are a significant tremor in my left hand and left foot, my left arm doesn’t swing while I walk, I have trouble sleeping, and I have [anxiety](/understanding-parkinsons/non-movement-symptoms/anxiety "Anxiety") that I never had prior to the onset of the Parkinson’s. To treat the disease, I do a variety of things including taking traditional pharmaceutical drugs, using a hyperbaric chamber, and taking a variety of [supplements](/living-with-parkinsons/treatment/over-the-counter-complementary-therapies "Over the Counter & Complementary Therapies"), as well as other treatments. Currently, I’m training full-time with the goal to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics in the summer of 2021. I’m currently training approximately 20 hours a week between rowing, weight training, cycling, and yoga. \*Video excerpt from [Unfixed docu-series](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGgyKXNu-Doi-m5RDkRN1A) ## Related Materials Fact Sheets ### [ Occupational Therapy & Parkinson's ](/library/fact-sheets/occupational-therapy) [Read Now](/library/fact-sheets/occupational-therapy) Fact Sheets ### [ Nutrition and PD ](/library/fact-sheets/nutrition) [Read Now](/library/fact-sheets/nutrition) Audiobooks ### [ Fitness Counts: A Body Guide to Parkinson’s Disease ](/library/audiobooks/fitness) [Listen Now](/library/audiobooks/fitness) ## More Stories from the Parkinson's community ![Gary Krajewski headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/340x400/public/images/gary-krajewski-pd-story-hero.jpg?h=c9aea1bc&itok=jbMtYx20) People with PD ### [ Gary Krajewski ](/living-with-parkinsons/stories/gary-krajewski) READ NOW ![Melinda Young headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/340x400/public/images/melinda-young-pd-story-hero.jpg?h=c9aea1bc&itok=IGUTuGIt) People with PD ### [ Melinda Young ](/living-with-parkinsons/stories/melinda-young) READ NOW ![Jessica R. headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/340x400/public/images/jessica-r-pd-story-hero.jpg?h=c9aea1bc&itok=l6Bl0YfL) People with PD ### [ Jessica R. ](/living-with-parkinsons/stories/jessica-r) READ NOW [VIEW ALL STORIES](/living-with-parkinsons/stories) ### Share your Story Do you have an experience with Parkinson's that you would like to share? 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