June 17, 2019
I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend! A special shout-out to all of the fathers out there. For me, it was a wonderful day and an opportunity, as usual, to reflect on the joy and privilege it is to be a father. Of course, it was also a nice day to play 18 holes of golf with my father-in-law (it was his day too!), so all in all, a nice Father’s Day was had!
I received an inspiring email recently from Suzanne Green, who is our VP responsible for running the Walter and Betty Ward Y in Abingdon. This is a story about the power of resilience, determination and what happens when the Y has highly trained, talented associates who focus on helping those with significant challenges achieve their objectives.
Here’s an email that Ward Y Personal Trainer Marsha Williams recently received from a Y member who she trains:
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Alex Kim
Date: Wed, May 29, 2019 at 10:34 AM
Subject: Sorry it took so long!
To: Marsha Williams
I am a 32 year-old airline pilot for a low cost airline based in Las Vegas. I have been an avid skier and runner since I was a child. On March 23rd 2018, I had a stroke while I was running due to vertebral artery dissection while I was in Las Vegas for work. The body’s way of healing an artery tear is to form a clot. The clot went to my brain and caused a stroke. Things were looking bad.
After two weeks in the ICU, I transitioned to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where I learned to walk and talk again. After six weeks in hospitals in Las Vegas, I returned home and began outpatient physical therapy. I did eight weeks of outpatient rehabilitation in Maryland. Eventually, I got to a point where rehab was coming to an end, but I wasn’t back to the body of a normal, healthy 32 year old. At the recommendation of my physical therapist, I started to work out at the Ward Y in Abingdon and selected Marsha Williams to be my trainer.
Marsha was a great fit because she had experience as a physical therapy assistant. She was very knowledgeable and helpful in getting me back into the shape I was in before the stroke. Working out with her help me get in shape to run a 5k in under 30 minutes! She has also helped me improve my balance and coordination. I couldn’t have done it without the Y and Marsha!
Thanks Marsha!
I’m so glad that Alex was referred to the Y, and that he was matched up with Marsha. We work very hard to partner with health care organizations across the region to ensure that we are working well together to serve the community’s health and well-being needs. Frankly, I don’t know if one of those health care partnerships was the source of this referral, or whether it was simply a smart physical therapist recognizing that the Y was a great transition step for Alex. However this came about, I think we would all agree that Marsha and Alex worked some pretty serious magic together.
So, congratulations Alex for your determined recovery. And, thanks Marsha for being not only a highly skilled Personal Trainer but a transformative presence in Alex’s life!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland