Gwendolyn Hall, 61, spent most of her life in motion. “I was a total tomboy – the best football player in the neighborhood,” she recalls. Those active years paid off later as a mom to two kids and summer caregiver to her two youngest grandkids in her St. Louis home.
But 15 years ago, she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, which slowly took away her mobility. After a stroke in 2007 weakened the left side of her body and blurred her memory, Gwendolyn was left feeling depressed. “I was isolating myself,” she says. “I went months without leaving the house.”
Her doctor encouraged her to try the Foundation’s Exercise Program. Reluctant at first, Gwendolyn eventually obliged and had her grandkids tag along to the class. The decision was a stroke of genius, she says. The kids have been an ongoing source of inspiration for her and other participants to move more.
She is now able to walk without a cane, and to dance to her favorite music again. “I hadn’t realized how much I missed dancing or just swaying to music. The class helped me remember.”
Contact your local chapter or visit www.arthritis.org/programs to find a Foundation program near you.
