MS Can't Keep Kaju AZ Student Katie Crowder Down!

My Journey with Multiple Sclerosis By Katie Crowder

In the summer of 2004 my left hand started to tingle. You know that feeling when you sleep on your arm funny and it “falls asleep”. But the tingle never went away. Soon it traveled up my arm and eventually the tingle also started in my toes and traveled up my leg. Within weeks I saw my primary care doctor, a hand specialist and finally a neurologist. After many tests the diagnosis came back. I had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I didn’t even know what MS was. All I could think of was that Jerry Lewis telethon on TV, but that wasn’t MS at all. (For more detailed information about Multiple Sclerosis please visit www.nmss.org.)

When the doctor came in to give the diagnosis it went something like this. Tyler and I sat on the edge of our seats with anticipation and anxiety. The doctor flipped through my chart looking for the test results from an MRI and spinal tap. He couldn’t find them. He walked out of the room. I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Please just get this over with’. When the doctor finally returned, he looked at the results and said, “Okay, you have MS now let’s get you on some medicine”. I kid you not. No sympathy, no concern, no hope for the future, nothing. It was like I had a cold or something. Needless to say, I switched doctors fast. Luckily the new doctor, Dr. Pamela Vincent offered compassion and hope. She told me that my case was caught very early and was mild. Although, the diagnosis was devastating we were grateful it was caught so early.

Dr. Vincent told us we needed to go home and do a lot of research and then make an educated decision about which medicine to go with. At the time there were 4 “disease-modifying” treatments or medications, all given by injection. After much thought and anguish we decided to go with a medicine called Rebif. It had a little bit better track record than its counterparts, however the side effects were expected to be less than favorable. About this time the tingling sensation in my hand/arm and feet had subsided. I was able to be on Rebif for about 20 months before I stopped to get pregnant.

In April 2006, I was blessed to get pregnant. During pregnancy your immune system is suppressed and so MS tends to go into remission. Luke was born in January 2007. Typically about 6 months after giving birth you have a flare up. Therefore, it was necessary to be back on medicine within 6 months after giving birth. However, I had developed antibodies to Rebif and I could no longer be on that medication (as well as 2 of the other 4). That left me with only one of the “disease-modifying” treatment options, Copaxone. In August 2007 I started the Copaxone, which was an injection I gave to myself everyday.

In October 2007, I had a flare up. My right arm and right leg started to tingle. The right side of my face started having some sensitivity and my neck had a constant itch. Again, in December my arm started to tingle. Therefore my new doctor, Dr. Barry Hendin, put me on a steroid treatment for 5 days. While discussing these flare ups with Dr. Hendin he brought up the possibility of switching to a newer medicine known as Tysabri. He felt like it was an aggressive move to put me on the Tysabri. However, he said something that struck both Tyler and I. He said that when he looks at me (a 28 year old mother of 3 that is generally healthy) he sees what I will be in 10 or 15 years. And he stated, he wanted to see me walking without a cane or walker. (According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), “Statistics suggest that 2 out of 3 people with MS remain able to walk over their lifetime, though many of them will need a cane or other assistive device. Some will choose to use a scooter or wheelchair to conserve energy. Others will require a wheelchair to maintain mobility. The “disease-modifying” treatments mentioned earlier, and in use only since the 1990s, may favorably alter this projection.”)

Dr. Hendin said what we do now affects you very significantly in the future. He said I could continue on the Copaxone and hope it is working, but if we wait and damage occurs during that time then it could negatively affect my future. Tysabri is a relatively new drug with a much higher success rate than the other 4 medicines, but with more severe side effects. Two years previous Tysabri was pulled from the market because 2 people died while on the medication from a rare brain infection. It is considered a last resort medicine. It was reintroduced to the market and administered only when people follow strict guidelines. Tyler and I decided Tysabri was the right choice for me and I have been on this medicine for the past 8 months. I have had little to no symptoms in the last 8 months. Last week I had an MRI and I am thrilled to report that there has been no progression in the last year!!!

During the first 3 years since I was diagnosed I suffered minimal symptoms. However, I suffered fatigue almost daily. Fatigue is the number 1 symptom of MS. Exercise is one of many things that can be done to help combat fatigue. The NMSS states, “A study published by researchers at the University of Utah in 1996 was the first to demonstrate clearly the benefits of exercise for people with MS. Those patients who participated in an aerobic exercise program had better cardiovascular fitness, improved strength, better bladder and bowel function, less fatigue and depression, a more positive attitude, and increased participation in social activities.” Although I don’t experience many of these problems, I may in the future. So in order to help keep this disease at bay and do everything in my power to keep it from progressing, I’ve been searching for the right exercise program for myself. I’ve tried walking, yoga, step aerobics and weight lifting. I always felt better when I exercised, but I never felt like my body was getting stronger or healthier.

In the fall of 2005, I had the opportunity to attend a women’s self-defense seminar. This was my first experience with martial arts. I loved it! It was that initial experience that got me interested and eventually brought me to train at Kajukenbo AZ. And it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I have been training since January 2008 and couldn’t be happier. In the beginning I did everything half-heartedly for fear of overdoing it and having increased fatigue. However, in the months since then my body has gained so much muscle and strength. My endurance has increased significantly. Martial arts have so many benefits for MS. It truly does all those things stated above: it helps with fatigue, spasticity, balance and gait problems and even memory. This is the best exercise program I have ever been apart of and the most committed I’ve ever been to exercise. That is why I am so excited to team up with Sifu, Simou and the Kajukenbo family in raising money for the MS Walk on November 8th, 2008.

The reason I share my story with you is to show you just how blessed I have been because of the NMSS. The NMSS, founded in 1946, is a voluntary health agency dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS through providing programs and services to individuals and families living with MS and generating and funding research into the cause and cure of multiple sclerosis. With 62 Chapters across the country, the National MS Society is the leading source of unbiased information on multiple sclerosis and the largest private funder of MS research in the world.

Fifteen years ago, there were no medications for MS. There were only drugs that were used for symptom management. There was no medication to slow down the progression of MS. It is because of research supported by the NMSS and others that there are now many medicines that slow down and in some cases repair damage caused by MS. I have benefited from those medicines. It is my hope that I will not feel the adverse affects of MS. Many of you may know someone with MS and may think of someone in a wheelchair or walking with a cane. I don’t fit that profile and I hope I never do. This is why I am committed to this fundraiser and walk. The money raised will go directly to funding research, finding more effective medicines and potentially finding a cure for MS.

Please help by making a donation - large or small - to my personal Walk MS page. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant or volunteer and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.

You can also show your support by participating in the Kajukenbo AZ sponsored fundraiser to benefit the MS Walk. It will be held October 18th at 10am. It will include a FREE children’s defense seminar, brick breaking demo, katana demo and a silent auction. Silent auction items will be on display October 1-18 inside the dojo. Stop by and show your support. If you have a service or basket to donate please contact Simou. Winners of the silent auction will be announced on October 18th. Lunch will follow. All proceeds from the lunch will also go towards the MS Walk.

I love being a part of Kaju AZ and am grateful for how it has helped me in my fight with MS. Thank you all in advance for making a difference in my life and others with MS! As Sifu says "What goes around, comes around" and I know your generosity will be rewarded in the future!

Katie Crowder

A Post Script from Simou: We are so pleased to have Katie as a part of our Kaju AZ Team! She brings not only her two Kaju Dragons, but an awesome energy to the dojo. She is graceful, helpful and always gives her best. Since announcing our desire to help Katie raise funds for MS, we have learned that Grandmaster Forbach's sister suffered from MS as well as Linda George's (2009 black belt candidate) Father. Both died too early. Stephanie Koogler's (Black Belt Candidate) Mom Marilyn is also fighting the disease. MS touches all of us and we have a great opportunity to make a difference. Thank you for your support!

Go For The Gold In Everything You Do!

Sifu and I are always looking for ideas, inspiration and ways to improve our mind, body and spirit. I came across this recently and decided that the smart and inspirational Harvey Mackay said it all perfectly. Please enjoy!

Simou Jen

Lessons from the Olympics
(Courtesy of www.harveymackay.com)

I just returned from witnessing 17 days of competition at my ninth Summer Olympics. To say it was memorable is an understatement. I watched Michael Phelps win his record eight gold medals, cheered on the "Redeem Team" to basketball gold, shared the excitement of the electrifying upset win by the men's volleyball team, and witnessed the best opening and closing ceremonies in history.

What struck me throughout is what goes into making an Olympic champion—or for that matter a gold-medal winning entrepreneur or manager. Here's my short list:

Heart. I recently wrote a column on how heart trumps just about all the other senses when it comes to accomplishing the new and the unknown. There's no denying the heart of a champion. I witnessed the miracle of Rebecca Soni, who came back from heart surgery one year ago to qualify as an alternate for the U.S. women's swim team. When the opportunity arose for her to compete, she proceeded to win a gold medal in the 200-meter breast stroke in world-record time.

Determination. An athlete can have the perfect body for a competition or the best coach, but if they don't have a deep-down burning desire to achieve something, they won't accomplish it. Sometimes desire is more important than talent. Determination can turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

Dedication. The Summer Olympics happen only every four years, so for the little attention an athlete receives over 17 days of competition, there are many hundreds more days of grinding solitary workouts. There are no shortcuts in the world of sports and life.

Goals. Athletes must stay focused on their goals above all else. Truly dedicated individuals won't let anything interfere with attaining their goals. That's why so few people become champions.

Preparation. It takes a lot of sweat, sacrifice and discipline to become an Olympic champion. If it were easy to become the best, everyone would do it. No one can do it for them. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Confidence. Athletes have to believe that they can win ... that they have done everything in their power to compete at the highest level. There can be no fear of failure. Confidence enables them to perform to the absolute best of their abilities.
Concentration/Focus. I love to watch and study athletes as they are getting ready to compete. You can see them running through their races or routines in their heads. Nothing can distract them. (The lone exception was Dara Torres before one of her races when she made everyone wait because a competing swimmer had a torn suit. I guess we could add sportsmanship to the list.)

Competition. The breakfast of champions is not cereal, it's competition. It is healthy. It keeps athletes sharp, makes them better and improves quality. Athletes should not only welcome stiff competition, they should actively seek it. They'll never realize their full potential in business or sports unless they're challenged.

Mental Toughness. There are many things that can go wrong in life, so athletes must be mentally prepared for whatever happens. Sometimes they have to perform at their best when they're feeling their worst. Champions block out the pain and do what's necessary to win or get the job done.

Vision. I learned long ago that projecting oneself into a successful situation is the most powerful means there is of attaining personal goals. Vision doesn't do the planning and it doesn't anticipate the obstacles. It gives a real idea of what is possible, if only they want it badly enough.

Life is not always fair. Sometimes things happen that are out of one's control. Judging can be uneven, conditions may not be perfect and equipment can fail. Champions know how to deal with it.

Don't let age be a deterrent. Look at 41-year-old Dara Torres, who proved to be the second fastest woman swimmer in the world and lost by 1/100th of a second. Or how about Romania's Constantina Tomescu-Dita, who at age 38 won the women's marathon. And don't forget John Dane III, who at age 58, made the U.S. Olympic sailing team for the first time after trying to qualify for 40 years.

Fun. Above all, athletes have to love what they are doing to achieve gold-medal performances. It should be fun. One thing I will take away from the Beijing Olympics is the smile of Shawn Johnson from the women's gymnastics team. She showed unbridled joy, in both winning and losing.

Mackay's Moral: Go for the gold in whatever you do!

The Black Belt Attitude

Attitude is everything. But what is a black belt attitude and why would I as your instructor want you to exhibit it in the dojo and out of the dojo?

Masters in the martial arts seem to have a confidence that goes beyond the ability to hurt someone. Some of the greatest examples of a black belt attitude are exhibited by masters where it is not immediately obvious that they train in the martial arts. It could be the confident air about them. It could be the easy and efficient way they move. It could be the general good nature and positive outlook they have. It is probably all of that and more beyond. One day I hope to have that attitude and movement.

What makes a black belt so confident? Is it because they have encountered many physical and mental trials on the training floor and have overcome them? But how do they translate the training into their normal daily lives? We are complex individuals with the ability to compartmentalize portions of our lives. Many people will train hard and acquire the skills to achieve the belt, but still live their lives in confusion and disarray. Some exhibit supreme self control in their technique but lose control in their daily habits of eating, being honest, and living with integrity. Some can take the pain of a hit, but not the pain of rejection or an unkind word.

Personally, I use martial arts as well as my religious faith to help me be a better person. I also have the help of people around me that keep me in check and don’t allow me to go very far off course...thank goodness for those that care about us!

I believe that martial arts is for everyone. Unfortunately I do not believe that everyone that trains in the martial arts is a good person. Either the lessons have been compartmentalized or the lessons went over the heads of those individuals. But I feel it is our duty as martial artists to try to go above and beyond in our actions and treatment of others.

So how do I translate the mundane, day to day training into real life? That’s a tough one to answer, because I don’t know that I am fully educated in this process at this time. Instead, I will discuss aspects of martial arts and how I believe that it complements daily life.

In the dojo, we pay respect to the upper belts - we must remember to be humble in what we have and what we learned. We have never learned enough and we are never ‘done’ training. In life, we are never perfect. We must continue to educate ourselves in order to become more productive with the hope that eventually we will become more wise.

We listen and respect whomever is teaching us a technique even if we believe the technique is supposed to be done differently. This translates to open-mindedness as well as courtesy and respect for the individuals that we come in contact with. We should not always make it a point to correct others, sometimes, it is simply is not the right time or it can lead to hurting the feelings of the other individual.

No matter how many times we practice tournament technique one, we can always practice it a little more. Everything that we want to be good at takes effort and practice. If we want to be self confident, practice self confidence daily. If we want to be honest, practice living honesty daily.

Half-hearted training is useless. If you don’t put the effort into the kick, the kick will never get any higher, faster, or more powerful. You can see it in a student that has been training for years but doesn’t have a fast kick or punch. Only when we push ourselves to do better do we get better. Don’t do anything without meaning to do it. Give all of your effort to everything you do. Make every task important and pay attention to the little details. This works well in family relationships where the details do matter and your focus and attention can mean the world to the person you are spending time with.

Confidence generates success while cockiness generates contempt. Having a confident attitude allows the student to succeed as fears and doubts are minimized and placed on the back burner. The distraction of fear of failure is useless and destructive, and can cause you to lose your focus and concentration. Cockiness, on the other hand, leads to lack of preparation and potential failure. A cocky individual will not be helped by their peers and will be left alone to fail. We all need help, or might need the help of those around us. We should not taint our relationships by an arrogant attitude. We should be confident and yet humble when we interact with everyone around us.

The self-defense circle provides an opportunity for us to persevere when we become fatigued. How do we handle ourselves when we have given every ounce of our energy and yet the instructor calls out ‘30 more seconds’? Do we fall down on our face and give up? Or do we reach down deep inside and find the hidden extra reserve that the body withholds from us until we reach for it. Many don’t don’t even know it exists because they either have not encountered the fatigue or have quit before reaching deeply. How do we handle life’s difficulties? Do we fall on our face, or do we straighten our shoulders, raise our head and attack the problem?

When we train with our partners, it takes a great deal of patience and effort to give and receive the techniques. This is where selfishness can cause problems. We can’t be selfish in our training because we need our partners to help us get to the level that we are working towards. We can’t get their without also helping our partners get to their level best. We need to let our partners hit us as many times as we hit them, in fact it is better to receive than to give. Outside the dojo, we need to try to give more than we receive. Give your time, talents and energy to those around you. Everyone benefits, especially you.

Training is about balance. We have to know when to push ourselves and when to rest and heal. Some students suffer an injury yet ignore it to try to impress the instructor, only to cause the injury to become worse. Others will expend all their energy in the first 2 minutes of their test, and then have nothing left for the last 45 minutes. Others will hold on to their energies and never fully expend all their efforts for the important task. Knowing when to go all out and when to stop are very important. We must balance all aspects of our training and all aspects of our lives.

Thanks again for your time and talents. I truly feel blessed to teach and train with the best martial artists! Keep up the great work and keep training strong!

Sifu Kelly Corder