There are so many words people can use to describe others, and at certain points in our life those descriptions will inevitably vary. If there is one word though that people have consistently used to describe me, it is undoubtedly – athlete. I started playing sports from a very young age and never stopped. I loved everything about sports. The teamwork, the leadership, the comradery, the training, the value in hard work, the thrill of winning, and the lessons in losing – it all spoke to me and taught me valuable life skills that apply outside the realms of competition. Today – having lost just the tiniest bit of speed -I coach, and I feel my most important role is to impart these same ideas to my players.

My love for sports spilled over into other areas of health and fitness and I suppose one can also accurately describe me as a health nut. As a personal fitness trainer, my professional life revolves around working out, eating right, and living a healthy lifestyle. Clients often tell me I make things look easy – to be clear, its definitely not –but my reply is always the same – it would be bad for business if I looked like I was struggling. I enjoy the challenge of it, pushing through a percieved limit.

When my son was born, I took on another description – Mom (or MOMMY!! as Amichai says). My life was forever changed the second Amichai entered the world, and then when he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) just a few days later – suddenly it was flipped on its head. While the tittle of Mother is automatically awarded, understanding what that actually means, defining it for oneself, and more so understanding what being a mother to a child with CP means – that is a work in progress.

With Amichai as point, CP has been an avenue for me to understand that role and embrace the description. More importantly, my experiences through CP have allowed me to change my own perceptions about what normal is, what strength is, what perfect is…everything I have learned and continue to learn is so far from what I imagined or perceived it to be. And I am better for it.

This blog is an expression and documentation of our journey but also a platform to inform, inspire, and change perceptions.