How table tennis is helping Parkinson’s, brain tumor patients take back control

BURLINGAME — Eleven years after doctors told his family they weren’t sure if he would survive an inoperable brain tumor, 16-year-old Bosman Botha maneuvers around a ping pong table like an old pro.

His daily practice often includes volleying with four-time Olympian Lily Zhang, among other Olympic stars, while being coached by Park Ji-Hyun, the former head coach of the esteemed South Korean women’s national team.

He glides fluidly from one side to the other. His forehand is overpowering.