Getting Involved
This past weekend I went to a benefit for brain and spinal cord tumor rehabilitation. It was a 5K walk/run around beautiful Lake Minnetonka with home base at the Excelsior Brewery where the after party included live music, a raffle, food and of course, a variety of craft brews. Hosted by Walk Talk Connect, a Minnesota based non-profit with ties to Givens Brain Tumor Center and Courage Kenny Rehabilitation, which are both instrumental in my own recovery, I felt like the party was for me!
Only two months after my surgery, a friend of mine invited me to attend the same event in 2017 and the connections I made have lasted and grown into friendships. I became involved with Walk Talk Connect and founders Kathy and Tom Kuhl right away, offering to contribute my story for the website and help promote the non-profit and its events. Connie and I participated in creating a video to further reach out and “be a connection” for others through WTC.
We all have our own stories but the one thing I believe we all share is the struggle to accept and grow into our “new normal.” It’s more than a little work to retrain your body. I still have to think when I walk. It’s important for me to know that I’m not the only one chanting “lift, reach.” The best way to know that is to connect with like folks and the only way to do that is to get out there and make those connections. Whether at a group, an event, the rehab center, it is good for me to be involved. It helps me understand myself moving forward as a part of a very exclusive club.
For more information or to donate visit www.walktalkconnect.org
