"Everyone has a story, it's what you make out of it. Yyou can feel sorry for yourself or you can pick up and use it as motivation."- Esubalow Truneh
Team CMT is global with members in Vietnam, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Iran, and Finland. I recently interviewed our member in Scotland Julie Glover. Julie is originally from Rockford, Illinois, just a little over an hour from my hometown of Milwaukee.
1.) How
did you hear about Team CMT?
I heard
about Team CMT from a post on the CMT UK website. The were doing a fundraiser
called the '100 Hundred'. 100 people to raise 100GBP, all proceeds to go to CMT
research. I thought, 'I can do that!' That evening I came across Chris Wodke's
post on the CMT Association's FB page about her book and decided to Google it.
Team CMT popped up and I joined.
2.) What
made you want to join Team CMT?
I thought I
could help make a difference by doing something active and (hopefully!)
inspirational. I wanted to show others with CMT that although it is
progressive, there is no need to give up!
3.)
Are you an athlete? If so what sports? What events do you plan to do? What are your
fitness goals?
Lol, I
wouldn't call myself an athlete but I AM a fitness instructor. I teach
different types of Zumba classes plus Circuits and Bootcamp. I also attend
University full time and chase my two young children around...that would keep
anyone fit ;)
4.) I
know you did a 5K recently, tell us about the race (Where it was, who ran with
your, why you picked the race) and how the race went for you.
We had
gorgeous weather out at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh , Scotland America
5.) Do
you or a family member have CMT? If you have CMT when were you diagnosed? What type CMT?
My
grandmother, mother, uncle, brother and I all have CMT, my uncle and brother
are in orthotics and my mother's hands are starting to become affected. I
started experiencing extreme fatigue and leg weakening around age 25, and
couldn't stand on my toes 6 months later. At the time, the doctor I saw said
that as CMT ran in my family and was not only degenerative but seemed quite
aggressive I should just accept the fact I'd probably be in a wheelchair in 10
years time. I have since been to a geneticist who visually diagnosed me but
although they drew a blood sample and sent it to the lab, mine isn't a type
with a known marker. (And I've no need for that wheelchair yet!)
6.) Tell
us a bit more about you. I know you grew up in Rockford Illinois
I met an
amazing burly Scotsman and fell in love. I had already been in love with Scotland
7.) What
do you miss most about Rockford
My family.
We've always been close and it's hard not to be able to drop by for a cuppa
with my mother or see my brothers. I'm really missing my Nani (grandmother) and
seeing all my nieces and nephews grow up. Thank goodness for Skype, Facebook
and WhatsApp!
8.) Where
did you go to school? Are you
married? Do you have children? What do you do for a living?
I worked in
veterinary medicine when I was in the US Argosy
University Scotland
I took the
training and became a fitness instructor and Zumba coach while I was pregnant
with Caeleb. I'm in school 36 hours a week (and that's without the commute or
studying) and I still teach a few fitness classes every week.
I've also become a qualified KCR (Kinetic
Chain Release) therapist after discovering the treatment and seeing a massive
improvement in my legs and quality of life. I went on the training courses and
discovered all the benefits it can provide...now I help others in another way!
9.) Your
favorite song to work out to?
I have to
admit that lately I love anything by Bastille.
10.)
Anything else you want us to know about you?
I still
love animals and have a Leonberger named Lincoln
My family
is the most important things to me and being together as much as we canis a
priority. My husband and I also teach our children kindness and tolerance for
folks with disabilities. It warmed my heart the other day...I was on the bus
with my children and when Caeleb saw a young man with a cane board our very
full bus, he stood up and said 'Have my seat. You can rest your legs'.
I would
have to say I view my personal experience with CMT as a blessing. True, it's
not as severe as some forms, but it is a daily struggle to find enough energy
to get everything done. I occasionally get the blues but I remind myself of all
the things I can do and have overcome. I wouldn't be the person I am today if I
had been born without HN. The determination and will that comes from being
disabled...especially when someone tells me I 'can't' do something...lol. I
sure proved those doctors wrong.
Thank you Julie for being on Team CMT and being such a great role model! You handle your CMT with grace and dignity. The work team members like Julie do is so important for raising awareness. They are helping to make the invisible, visible. One in two people have not hear of CMT. Team CMT members are changing that. The first step to treatments and a cure is raising awareness.
We will win this fight against CMT. How could be do anything else with great Team CMT members like Julie Glover!
**********************************************
 |
| Author at Duathlon National Championship Oro Valley 2013 |
Chris
Wodke
Founder
& Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is
a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the
Boston Marathon. In 2012 she finished 2nd
at Boston in
the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs
exploded.
She has
appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint
Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open
Division Champion. She was the 2014
Duathlon PC Open Champion.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship. She has qualified to represent TeamUSA
at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago
in 2015.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship. She has qualified to represent Team
In 2014 she represented the U.S.
as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas , Texas
She
travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.
She is
the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a
CMT affected athlete.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure
for CMT. We have 159 members in 30 states. We also have members in Australia , Scotland ,
Canada , Vietnam , Turkey ,
Finland and Iran . If you
wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com
or www.hnf-cure.org
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.
Additional Link
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Marathon Bombing
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