My muscle tone disorder may have set me back, but it gave me a hell of a comeback. This is why I ran, I didn’t necessarily have a love for running- I had a love for the finish line, for the PRs, for the burning pain in my legs and for the ability to say that I overcame that pain, as I had to do many times in my life before. Crossing the finish line with a new PR as they called my name on the loud speaker. Not in any way would I image that I would end up there, let alone running in a race, but I did.
Being on varsity gave me even more confidence and pushed me to work harder to stay there.Ĭross country state finals 2017. I never dreamed I would ever own that title, and yet, I did. I ran my butt off, stretched for extra time and took good care good care of myself. That time was the start of me being as close to a normal runner as I could get.
That time was the start of my determination. Now, this time might seem slow to the average person, but to me, it was everything. Then, at the fourth meet of the year, I ran a 27:13. I began to hate cross country and dread practice. It took me 31:05 to get to the finish line- last on my team. My legs would ache and my muscles would be so tight during my runs, even after stretching the same amount (longer if I could squeeze it in) as everyone else. Honestly, I still can’t believe I actually signed up, but I’m sure glad I did.Īt the start of the season, I was slow, really slow. until I wasn’t in a sport the fall of my freshman year.Ĭross country. I did okay in the sports, never the worst, never the best. When I was 8-9 years old, I went to a children’s PT center where I complete their program and have not been back in one since (currently 15).Īfter this, my parents threw me in every sport they could, anything to strengthen my legs and keep me strong. I didn’t have too many friends at the time, and no one really roamed the hallway in elementary school, so not many people seemed to notice. 6-7 I was involved in the school’s PT problem where I would get pulled out of class about 3 times a week to work with the therapist in the hallway. When I was about 3-5 years old I had leg braces, along with a PT program. The toes pointed inward walk seems to get people’s attention though. It only affects my legs and left me with a slight mumbling problem that no one finds too unusual. A muscle tone disorder that has made me miserable at times, but made reaching my goals even more gratifying. The question I’ve heard a thousand times, the question I dread, the question I hate.Ĭerebral palsy.
That’s all I feel when someone asks me the question. Right now, she has this really old stationary bike that she bought from a garage sale over 20 years ago that is barely hanging on.Īfter my Mom's whole life of giving selflessly to her 4 kids and husband, her parents, and her brother, it's time for her to just relax and focus on herself.Failure. I strongly feel that she would greatly benefit from a Peloton bike. My Mom is so positive and strong though, I know she will get through this. She underwent surgery and she is going through radiation treatments now. This past September, my Mom was then diagnosed with Endometrial cancer. She was taking care of them at her home in addition to the rest of my family including my sister who was born visually impaired and developmentally disabled. Our family lost my Uncle and Grandfather within weeks of each other at the end of 2019. Unfortunately, she has had a very difficult year. Slowly, she was managing to get her blood sugar under control and her mental health started improving. She would walk (and sometimes even jog a bit!) on the treadmill and started getting her diet in order. In December of 2018, my Mom started coming to the gym with me. Over time this led to many health issues she's still battling today including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and mental health issues. The more she worked, the less she focused on her health. I remember her selling clothes and bedding from our home to having a stall at the local flea market selling toys. Then, she would do overtime on top of that. She did shift work at a factory - 12 hours from 7-7, sometimes morning to night or flipped, night to morning.
Growing up, it seemed like my Mom was always at work. I want to give that feeling to my Mom who has done so much for everyone else at the expense of her own health. I bought a Peloton in June 2019 and it has changed my life in so many positive ways. I want to give that feeling to my Mom who has done so much for everyone else at the expense of her own health. The Comeback is Always Stronger than the Setback.