One year ago today, everything changed.

I had experienced back pain for years.  So many years, I honestly can’t remember not having back pain.  I always chalked it up to the consequence of getting older & all of those gymnastic days/car accidents/falling incidents (yeah..I’m a klutz) of my youth.  Being a teacher, spending long days on my feet on floors with no more than carpeting or tile on top of cement didn’t help. Also, carrying all that extra weight was not helping, and I knew it. However, it was normal to me.

Then I started having trouble standing.

And walking.

And gardening.

And I couldn’t stand and teach a 20-minute lesson without stopping and attempting to stretch out my back.

And I couldn’t walk my students down the hallway without pain that made me want to cry.  

I knew something was truly wrong.

On January 7th, 2019 I had an appointment with a doctor whose specialty is spinal injuries.  She couldn’t even complete her evaluation due to the pain I was in from the tasks she needed me to do.  As the tears were rolling down my cheeks, she told me she was putting me on bed rest until she could review the results of my x-rays and MRI.  

Two weeks later she put me on bed rest for three months & gave me a referral for physical therapy.  She also told me that I had extensive nerve damage along with adult-onset scoliosis and I would most likely end up in a wheelchair within 6-12 months.  

What?!?  

No.

Luckily for me, my Aries personality does not like being told what to do or what will happen to me.  I believe in being the captain of this ship, and no one controls its destiny except me. That prognosis was not going to be my destiny. 

Time for a rewrite.

I did my research.  I went to physical therapy.  I followed (and still follow) every single directive, and then some.  A wheelchair, at this time in my life, was not going to be my destination…

Here I am, January 7th, 2020, and I just ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill, with a 40% incline, at a steady speed of 3.2.  Granted, it took a little over 20 minutes but what a wonderful victory! I am so proud of me and so grateful and thankful to the universe for not only being in this place where I was not supposed to be but for also blessing me with that stubborn, determined personality.  I don’t care if I’m labeled an Athena, or if my pace is slow, or what people may think of me. My story is mine to write and in this story, I am unstoppable.

Here I come 5K…

Click here to see Chapter 1.

You can find Sonya (NJGardenTeacher) on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.