Time.
(2015)
We talk about wanting more time as one of our “whys” at Eupraxia.
After Brady & I opened the West Salem location in 2015, my dad jumped into the program because he wanted to check what we did and support us! Despite having a titanium femur due to a prior car accident AND already being in the thick of treating stage 4 prostate cancer, which had metastasized to his bones, he became a regular attendee and quickly known as the “Barefoot Ninja”.
This man in his mid-60s listened intently to the nutrition advice we gave, and overhauled his diet as a result. He started supplementing with our Fish oil, vitamin D3, & probiotics. He loved our workouts and the community. He had great days and tough days, which primarily followed his chemo treatments or tests.
He was a little embarrassing sometimes because he would show up in his neon shirts, long underwear, and bare feet. He acted like kickboxing was a legitimate boxing match & never wore gloves. He’d take the kickboxing bag to the floor, straddle it, and proceed to beat the tar out of it during the final minute-cashout (hence the Barefoot Ninja name), while feeding off the goofy looks and giggles from other members. He also drove our Eupraxia truck at the June Dairy Days Parade and was known to talk about how crazy awesome our program was wherever he went!
In the weeks before he died, he continued to tell me how proud of me he was and how we were doing a great thing. He also shared with me that a doctor from the Tomah VA had recently come to the house to assess him during his hospice treatment. This doctor worked with a lot of Vets and has seen a lot of cancer. After reviewing my dad’s medical records, this doctor was completely blown away over how much these lifestyle changes had helped him outlive his prognosis and given him more time.
This doctor told my dad that he had no doubt that his changes in diet, regular workouts, and positive attitude had improved his quality of life and allowed him to experience much more than he’d likely have been able to had he not done those things.
While this may not be overly shocking because that is WHY we, as trainers and business owners, do this Eupraxia thinf, it was pretty cool to hear – especially since some doctors don’t always make the connection between lifestyle and disease (crazy, I know)
At that, I want to personally extend a GIANT thank you to our amazing members who have lifted us up during this time, especially those of you have taken the time to extend condolences and even attend my dad’s visitation/funeral; to our incredible trainers - Jenna, Lauren, Kasey - who have covered classes during a really hard time for us; and to all of our amazing members for making Eupraxia a community of support, encouragement, self-improvement, and Lord willing, more time.
(video credit: Maria Ekern)
Comments
Post a Comment