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Terún and iTalico chef and owner Kristjan D’Angelo has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease as he works to raise funds and awareness for the condition. Courtesy Nadia Andreini.

On July 7, Terún and iTalico chef and owner Kristjan D’Angelo marked the five-year anniversary of a life-changing diagnosis: In 2017, he learned he has Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative condition that is currently incurable. D’Angelo shared his diagnosis in a Terún newsletter last week, adding that the condition hasn’t impacted his cooking.

“I am now ready to start fighting even more,” D’Angelo said in the newsletter. “Living with PD is usually a long game — decades, not months or years.”

He added that decreasing exposure to stress and “hard exercise” are part of his treatment plan. Combining exercise with raising awareness for the disease, D’Angelo is also training with friend Dave Keller for the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Tour de Fox cycling fundraiser Aug. 27. Terún is also hosting a buffet-style lunch that day for those who donate $1,000 or more. Donations can be made on D’Angelo’s Tour de Fox fundraising page.

“With my diagnosis, one thing I can do now is to work with others to find a cure for PD,” D’Angelo said. “There is a lot of work going on to try to halt symptoms in the ~6Mil PD patients globally, and, ultimately, the goal is to find a cure and prevent new cases.”

Terún, 448 California Ave,. Palo Alto; Instagram: @terunpizza.

Stephanie Gerson writes for TheSixFifty.com, a sister publication of Palo Alto Online, covering what to eat, see and do in Silicon Valley.

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