On their face, exercise and illness would appear to be diametrically opposed states of mind. But there’s plenty of anecdotal and scientific evidence to suggest that overall physical fitness can have a positive impact on people living with a variety of chronic conditions or medical challenges. It makes sense from a practical standpoint: The stronger you are physically, the better your odds of weathering a physical challenge.
The story of Cheryl Simoens is a good example of this. The 32-year-old Winnipeg woman was born with nephropathic cystinosis.
Her family had a history of the disease—two cousins passed away from cystinosis-related complications in the 1960s. Fortunately for Cheryl, by the time she came along, doctors had a greater understanding of the disease and better treatments were available. Even with those drugs, the steady buildup of crystals in her body meant that Cheryl needed a kidney transplant by the age of 10.
After receiving a kidney from her father, Cheryl grew up strong, went to university, and built a career in mental health. She also discovered a love of working out. Along with regular workouts at the gym, Cheryl enjoyed pushing herself with weight lifting and rock climbing; at one point she even joined a rock-climbing competition along with 100 other competitors.
All that exercise and activity had an unexpected benefit in 2013 when Cheryl’s donated kidney began to fail.
Luckily her brother was a match, and in preparation for the kidney transplant this past January, Cheryl went on dialysis.
That didn’t change her commitment to fitness, though. She continued trying to schedule regular workouts during her dialysis, and after the successful operation she was mobile and climbing stairs within days.
Cheryl and her doctors attribute her speedy recovery to her fitness regime, and now she’s eager to get back in the gym and eventually begin training for a half marathon.
She’s also a big believer in refusing to be defined by her illness. Having faced kidney failure twice, she has every reason to believe that cystinosis won’t prevent her from living her life. And we can’t wait to see what Cheryl does with that life!
Check out the Winnipeg Free Press to read more of Cheryl’s story. And share your fitness success stories in the comments below.
