I’m 70. I went from being an athlete - skiing black diamond runs, biking, golfing, I was a quarterback in high school. At age 14, after whiplash injuries from football, a rare structural abnormality in my spine was discovered and surgery was risky but the only option.  The brilliant surgeon saved my life, and I didn’t have too many problems, life went on. 

In May 2010, things changed.  I woke up in serious pain, and the much-delayed effect of fusion surgery as a teenager reared its angry head. Arthritis along my entire spine.  A rollercoaster of medication and treatments followed.  In 2019 I underwent a double laminectomy/discectomy in my lower back. The pain was, and at times, is overwhelming, it was hard to do proper rehab for my low back surgery because of the problems with my neck (which can’t be solved with surgery).

Enter Jennifer in June of 2021…she listened intently to my long story and said that she couldn’t promise to help me but she would do everything in her power to try. She suggested that even a 10-15 percent improvement would be life-changing, and I agreed with her.

Jennifer has helped me get stronger and focus on what my decrepit body can do, not on what it can’t.  She designed a program that mostly focuses on my lower body, and has managed to gently introduce upper body exercises, which I had been afraid to do. She has helped improve my cardio through intervals on the recumbent bike. She taught me about the analgesic effect of exercise. She’s optimistic and cheerful, and kind when on days when my body is screaming at me. She supported me through yet another lower back surgery in early 2022. We have great conversations about politics and current events that take my mind off of exercising. She understands pain because of her own experience with it. Jennifer…thank you!