 "I MOVE BECAUSE I CAN."
Have you ever looked back on the paths your life has taken you and savored your journey? Or are you living your life with regret of paths not taken, opportunities missed? Do you wake up each morning with a groan, or with a thankful heart for yet another day to live your life to its infinite potential?
Five years ago I made a life altering decision of committing myself to care for a man dying of a terminal disease, ALS. Within these walls of Momentum, you don’t have to be here long before you hear about this disease. Pam Maurer-Ruhland, beloved daughter and sister of Momentum’s founders, was a victim. There is randomness to ALS. Doctors cannot predict potential victims, unless you test positive for a familial gene. What this means to you, then, is that you could be next. Suddenly your foot can start to flop. Or you can no longer grasp a handlebar. Little by little, or, in some cases, by leaps and bounds, your muscles just start dying off, and nothing you can do can make them work again. Ever. When you’re facing this as a potential diagnosis, you suddenly find yourself praying that it’s cancer, because, at least you have a fighting chance. With ALS, there is no chance. No cure.
Hope abounds, though, within the ALS community of caregivers, families, patients, and the medical community. Hope is a tangible word, when you see the man who appreciates waking up every day, and with monumental effort, is in his wheelchair waiting at the bus stop to greet his kids. Hope is represented by those who will stand to speak for those who cannot, at fundraising events, in political arenas, or at bedsides. Hope is like a halo around our special ALS families, who will do anything to enhance the lives of those who have been struck down. Hope is woven into a tapestry of support that uplifts those who can no longer lift themselves, scratch an itch, or wipe a tear.
Caregiving is hard. Leading anything resembling a normal life is nearly impossible. My eating and sleeping schedules were all off kilter, and the emotional impact of watching someone you love slip away from you day after day took its toll. I was exhausted and overweight, which has been a lifelong battle. Coming to Momentum was the best decision I ever made. I had gained about 10 lbs for every year I was on this special journey. I had a lot to lose, and a lot to work through. My additional motivation was, and still is, every victim of ALS I have ever met, because, they would give anything to move again. They would do anything to become stronger again. What kind of legacy would I be leaving if I didn’t pick myself up and do just that? Move. Become strong. Live.
I’m proud to say I’ve lost about 30 pounds so far, with the help of Giesala and the Weight Loss Rev program. What works for me is the ability to monitor my eating through the online program. I’m also a class junkie. Music motivates me, and so do the instructors. I’ve also learned that taking the low option is not a bad thing. I have plantar fasciitis, so unless I want my feet to hurt the following day, no matter how much I want to take the high option, I cannot. And the weight is still coming off. My energy and vitality is back, and I’ve worked through my grief with every cooling off session. I anticipate the time I spend at Momentum, and enjoy the contact I have with you all. We are a sisterhood of sorts, and judgment is not in our vocabulary. How refreshing, is it not?
I took care of Andy Guest. You may have followed his story in The Patriot News, who did a series of articles on his life once he was diagnosed with ALS. Appropriately, the final article was titled “A Life Savored”. Whatever journey you are taking right now, please fill it with hope. Aspire to awake in the morning with gratitude, and savor where you are right now in your life. Continue along your personal path with the awareness that every day matters, not just some distant goal that you may or may not reach.
Move because you can. See you in class!
- Pamela Thomas
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