Welcome Shannon Hays to Team CMT

Shannon Hays

Follow your dreams, for as you dream, so shall you become.”- unknown

Shannon is 33 and lives in southeast Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia with her husband Fran.  She's had CMT symptoms since she was 14.  Like a lot of us it took some time to get an official diagnosis and she got hers just this last April.

Despite a long search to determine just what type of CMT she has, Shannon is embracing life. CMT is just a part of who she is.

Shannon is currently web admin and is working to earn her Bacbelors degree in Human Services.  She is expecting to graduate this summer and will then be starting graduate studies in the fall.  I am glad this busy lady has time for Team CMT.

She has lots of reasons for joining Team CMT. First she says she wants to get back in shape. She wants to create awareness and help raise funds for research.  She just got the couch to 5 K plan I sent her and she is going to start getting into running shape right away. She is going to pick a race and use it to raise funds.

She wants to be active so she can stay strong and show everyone they can achieve their dreams no matter how big they might be.

Shannon says she is not sure how to become an athlete, but she is up to the challenge. She likes the idea of working out and eating healthy, but maybe needs a little bit of inspiration to keep her going. I hope we can provide  that for her at Team CMT!

Shannon does have a variety of things she likes to do to be active including; kayaking, yoga and walking.  She is looking forward to representing Team CMT in some local events in the Philadelphia area.  Welcome to the team Shannon. We are proud to have you!

Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 106 members in 24 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.