Moving to the MuSic

I remember the physical therapy students telling me that we were going to dance at my next visit, but I couldn’t imagine what that would look like.

Let’s be honest. I haven’t stood in more than 16 years, which means Dan never has known me to stand or walk on my own.

How the heck was I going to dance?

Guess I should have had more faith in Piotr and Lyndsay – the two Doctor of Physical Therapy students at Central Michigan University – and their professor Dr. Haines who led my workout sessions for the CMU PT CONECT program.

There, on December 4 in the first floor PT lab, I WAS DANCING!

And with this video, I can share with you what this once-unimaginable feat looks like:

My awesome team of therapists got me up and standing with the help of their new piece of equipment called an X-Y Gantry.

When they broke out a pair of motivational tunes – Pompeii by Bastille and my personal MS mantra I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty – I couldn’t stop smiling as I moved my arms and twisted my body.

I never once thought of my wheelchair. It was just me. With my PT partners. Dancing.

So liberating. So free.

Sure, I wish Dan could have been there to see all of this and be my dance partner, but he was back home working. Bless my caregiver Marcus for capturing the video so that Dan and others could enjoy these moments.

I no longer can stand on my own, but this doesn’t mean I have stopped moving. I can’t and won’t stop.

An interesting point is that just a week ago, Teva Life Effects posted Dan’s article Why We Keep Moving with MS. In this piece, he stresses why it’s important for people living with Multiple Sclerosis to stay in motion and offers tips for how they can make this happen whatever their ability level.

At one point he states, “See where you are and what’s possible for you.”

I’d like to add to his encouraging words and empower people to also keep their minds open and look beyond things that may seem impossible.

You know, like dancing to Tom Petty after not being able to stand for more than a decade.

Keep moving, and don’t back down. 🙂

Want to hear more about Jennifer’s dancing and the importance of moving with MS? Listen to our discussion in “Stand Your Ground Against MS,” the recent episode of our online radio program A Couple Takes on MS on the MS and Me Radio Network.