Meet Melissa
Meet Melissa:
She is a CMC graduate.
She has cerebral palsy.
She is a huge Rockies and Broncos fan.
She strives every day for her independence.
Her voice will inspire you.
I am a
26-year-old woman with cerebral palsy. I use a wheelchair to get around. For
many years I went to physical therapy for assistance with mobility and
strengthening. I went to occupational therapy to work on daily living skills
like dressing, cooking and cleaning. I made very little progress over the
years. I didn't like the therapies. I felt pressured to do therapy and keep up
with my busy schedule at the same time. I stopped doing therapy because my
family and therapist kept pressuring me. Also, I was a college student for
seven years. I was more focused on my studies and less focused on exercising.
At my
college graduation ceremony Erik Weihenmayer was our keynote speaker. He was
the first blind person to summit Mount Everest. I reached out to him afterwards.
We got into a lengthy conversation about "Campers and Climbers". Erik
said "Campers" work towards a goal. Once they reach the goal, they
stop doing what helped them get there. This is how I felt about physical
therapy. "Climbers", Erik explained, are those who build a support system to assist them in continuing to reach towards new goals. Their personal
growth continues. I also read Erik’s book titled No Barriers, A Blind
Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon. His booked, and the No Barriers organization,
gave me the motivation to do CrossFit to help me achieve my goal of
independence.
After my
college graduation and speaking with Erik, a lightbulb went off in my head. It
was like, I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing physically challenging for
myself. After college I didn't know what to do with my life. One day I told
myself "enough is enough". I called my Occupational Therapist and
told her I wanted to join the local gym that offered CrossFit. CrossFit is high
intensity functional movement and exercise. I learned about CrossFit through a
couple of members with my local fire department. My Occupational Therapist
called one of the owners at that time (July 2017) of the gym in my town. They
told my Occupational Therapist that they would see what they could do for me if
I was willing to give it 100 percent.
In July
2017 I began my CrossFit journey at the local gym. The owner at that time, who
is now my coach, went through several adaptive exercises with me to see what I
could do. He said "OK, let's get this journey started!" My coach had
not done adaptive CrossFit before with any of his clients. He learned by
working with myself, and also by observing other adaptive CrossFit athletes in
gyms around the states. Some activities that we tried worked and some did not.
If something didn’t work one way, we never gave up as a team and came up with
new adaptations to reach my final goal. I go to the gym on a weekly basis,
attempting to work out 2-3 times a week. Some of my exercises included the rowing
machine, doing squats, curl and press dumbbells, and lift kettlebells, and much
more. I do adaptive exercises standing up to front of an exercise bike to
strengthen my arms and legs. I recently learned how to crawl roll over on my
stomach. I could not do this before CrossFit. I am in and out of my wheelchair
more now than I have ever been. I transfer myself in and out of my wheelchair
multiple times a day. As you can probably tell CrossFit has helped me make a
360° turn from where I was before.
I built a
new friendship with a man named Kevin. He does adaptive CrossFit at a gym he
owns in Denver. Kevin is a paraplegic. As I have said to a few of my friends,
If you want to exercise and are interested in CrossFit, don't let the term
"CrossFit" intimidate you. I have been doing this for a year now and
am not turning back. With this new-found love of working out, I am also
beginning a journey of learning about nutrition. This coupled with my CrossFit
workouts I am hoping will make me even a stronger and healthier individual.
As my friend Erik Weihenmayer says, “Keep climbing!”
Join the
conversation. We want
to hear YOUR voice.
What are some of your
favorite activities and how could they be adapted
to meet someone’s physical needs?
to meet someone’s physical needs?
Valley Life for All, A Non-Profit.
Reach us at: 970-319-1279
#valleylife4all #voiceability4all
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