In a couple of weeks, I'm competing in a regional Tae Kwon Do sparring competition. I am not telling you this because I want you to be impressed. I am not a black belt. (I'm somewhere in the middle of the belt range). I don't consider myself young (I turned 40 in May) or healthy by any traditional measure. And trust me, if you saw me compete, you certainly wouldn't mistake me for Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. However, when I competed in the same competition last year, I won all my matches.
The point is not that I am exceptional in any way, but that this is the only hobby that I've ever been passionate about and that learning that I have relapsing MS has not stopped me from doing it. I originally took up Tae Kwon Do a little over two years ago to keep my son company while he did class. Six months afterwards, I was diagnosed with relapsing MS and as I'd clearly had MS for at least 5 years before diagnosis, I've never done Tae Kwon Do "healthy".
The point is that I was capable of Tae Kwon Do before I was diagnosed and that although the devastating mental impact of diagnosis almost forced me to quit, I still can. In fact, for a day or two after every class I feel way better than before it. I think it's because each class incorporates 10-15 minutes of stretching as well as a lot of strength training and cardio before we get to learning how to kick each other in the head.
There's also a lot of emphasis on balance and body control. Apparently it works - I was either born with MS (unlikely) or I was born a klutz (the consensus opinion). I spent my whole young life bumping into things and tripping. Now I can stand on one leg while kicking the other vigorously for a minute without falling over (much)!
Maybe we can't all do Tae Kwon Do, or even want to. But from my experience and from what I've heard from others, when we challenge ourselves, whether it be at physical therapy or an aqua aerobics class, we can sometimes gain back what MS tries to take from us. I'm not saying that waging war with this insidious disease is easy - every stretch I do hurts way worse than any blow I've ever received sparring. Sometimes I'm just too tired to go to class. But if I'm up to it, I'll be there. I guess that's why it helps for this particular "therapy" to be my hobby.
This journal reflects the personal experience of one person and others can be different. It is best to contact your doctor to discuss what's best for you. Tim is an MS LifeLines Ambassador and has chosen to share his story with other people living with MS. MS LifeLines and MS LifeLines Ambassadors are sponsored by EMD Serono and Pfizer.
