I asked for your support and you responded!

I asked for your support and you responded!

On Saturday, September 9th, I completed the Parkinson Canada Superwalk and raised $13,128.70 for Parkinson Canada. I ended up in 5th place in Canada for the highest individual fundraisers! Wow!

I’m so grateful for your support and messages of encouragement. The money raised will go towards supports and services for people with Parkinson’s Disease and research to find a cure for this terrible disease.

As I shared in my last Kimbits, my Parkinson’s symptoms have been progressing quite steadily over the last 7 months. I’ve had to increase my meds to better manage my symptoms. However, the meds come with a very strict dosage schedule and also include restrictions on when and what I can and cannot eat. This has resulted in my days becoming very structured and centered around my “on” and “off” times. “On” times, meaning when my meds are working and I feel good and “off” times, meaning when my meds are not working and I’m limited in what I can do.

As a result, I’ve had to make some very difficult business decisions over the past couple of months. I’ve cut back on the number of hours I can offer Personal Training services. This has meant that I’ve had to say good bye to some wonderful clients who I truly enjoyed working with. I am now only training a small number of online clients at very specific times during my day to accommodate my “on times”, minimize my stress and conserve my energy.

I’m very fortunate to have an amazing team of Yoga and Fitness class instructors who ensure the Group Fitness Class side of my business continues to run smoothly with minimal input from me. My plan is to continue offering group Yoga and Small Group Training classes for our loyal and dedicated clients indefinitely.

So what’s next for me?

My neurologist has referred me for DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) Surgery at Toronto Western Hospital. I will find out over the next few months, after an extensive assessment process, if I qualify for the surgery. If I’m able to have the DBS surgery, I have been told it will be performed next Spring.

DBS Surgery is not a cure for Parkinson’s and it does not slow down the progression of the disease. DBS surgery will help me better manage my symptoms, reduce the amount of drugs I’m taking and improve my quality of life.

In the meantime, I’m continuing to manage a very scaled back version of Body Design with the help of my team. It’s important that I continue staying mentally engaged and challenged. I’m also continuing with my regular workouts because exercise has been proven to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s. But most importantly, I’m spending as much time as I can with family and friends.

I’ve been sharing my Parkinson’s journey on social media to hopefully inspire and give hope to other people with Parkinson’s or other chronic illnesses. I’m also trying to spread knowledge, understanding and awareness of this progressive, neurodegenerative disease. Hopefully, one day a cure will be found.

I’m also interested in sharing my story through public speaking. I’ve dabbled in speaking in the past and feel this may be a time to pursue opportunities that come my way.

If you don’t already do so, I encourage you to follow me @bodydesignbykim on Facebook and Instagram or on my personal Facebook page @kimmortson.

Yours in health!
Kim