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Two Rivers
Member Since July 2002
My Story
My name is Judy Johnson. Ive been a member of Curves since 2002. Now that isnt very amazing but I need to start at the beginning.
In March, 1993, I suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that, after brain surgery, left me paralyzed on my left side. It was a total devastation of the life I had. I had a job I loved as a nursing assistant on an Alzheimers unit. It seems I was always busy with something from making doll cloths, doing woodworking projects to doing the flowers for my daughters wedding. Now I had to start from scratch, learning to walk, sit up, do simple tasks.
When I was released from the hospital I went through physical therapy. I would practice walking between the cupboards in my kitchen. I walked back and forth between those cupboards 50 to 60 times a day. Eventually the laps between the cupboards wasnt enough. So in 2002, my family physician recommended I join Curves. I wasnt sure I wanted to join, but my daughter, Renee, said, Mom, you can do this. I also got encouragement from my son Brian and my husband, Tom .
My first day there, I was sweating and nervous. It was July, I thought Id check out the facility and maybe start in a few months. But Curves employee, Linda Scallon, made me feel so comfortable and confident that I began right away. That first winter, my husband, Tom drove me whenever it snowed; other than that, I drove my determined self and never missed a workout. It took a long time in the beginning to get on and off the machines. Some days I didnt do all the machines even once. But Linda gently pushed. And I persisted. Back then, I couldnt do the bicep-tricep, so Linda improvised with a water bottle as weight. (Today, I use a hand-held weight instead of a bottle.)
It took me six months of sweat and determination, help from the Curves staff to get off and onto the machines and gentle pushing from Linda to get through a complete circuit. Today it still takes me about 45 minutes to complete my 30-minute workout but I show up faithfully on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The employees are great, they are all hands on with me. I still need some help maneuvering the machines.
If something devastating like this happens to you, face it"head on. Dont feel sorry for yourself. Make the best of what you have left. Can you put your bra on one-handed? I can; its not always straight, but its on. When someone asks me if I miss my former interests like sewing, upholstering, and painting? I tell them Curves is my best interest now, And if you want living proof of that, show up on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at the Manitowoc/Two Rivers, WI Curves. You will see a woman who fell down, got up, and brushed herself off. You will see a woman telling other women, You can do it!
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