In 2018, I contacted Jennifer to face my fears about exercise.  I was born with a congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot, and was missing a pulmonary valve.  I spent a lot of time in the hospital as a baby and child, and underwent additional open heart surgeries in 1993 and 2009. I also have had other life-saving procedures done over the years, including the insertion of a stomach tube to give me additional nutrition that I required in order to grow. There are other health issues I contend with as well: generalized anxiety disorder, especially related to exertion or anything related to my heart working harder than it usually does, vision issues, GERD, reactive airway disease, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic pelvic and chest pain. I lead a full and successful life, but knew that I wanted a child and that being a mother was something I had to prepare for in a different way than other women. Even though I have had a number of challenges medically speaking, I am fundamentally an optimistic person and believed that with the right support I could become a parent with all its attendant physical demands.

Jennifer was exactly the right person to help me.  She took a full assessment of my situation and created a comprehensive plan that included an exercise program that we slowly built up over time, counselling on strategies for dealing with stress, anxiety, and work demands, support for the chronic pain I experience, and tips on how to motivate myself to exercise on days when I just did not want to.  Jennifer completely believed that I could increase my fitness level safely, as anyone else could, with the right approach.  She gave me hope that I could do something I never thought I could do. Shockingly, I started to see some definition in my core and arm muscles, which I never expected.

Last month, 2.5 years after meeting Jennifer, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl.  Thank you, Jennifer, for giving me the confidence to believe that my body could do such a thing!