On my own Art, MS, and SHIMMER

Pardon me while I get all "behind the curtain" and spew some personal life crap that would really take far too much space on Facebook.

Recently, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and one of the biggest things about it that made it a difficult thing to accept was the fact that it robbed me of my Martial Art.  As a Jeet Kune Do man, my Art was a means for me to express myself honestly, and in a physical manner.  It helped get me off of my destructive meth habit that I had been engaged in for like 10 years.  My Art is a significant part of my being, so to lose it to a disease depressed me greatly.

I would probably still be in that state if not for SHIMMER.  Going to the March 2012 tapings gave me a reason to at least try to improve my condition.  I was still experiencing  heavy spells of it, where my legs just stop cooperating, but from the beginning of the weekend to coming back home, the improvement in my condition was remarkable.  It was from that point that I thought it was possible for me to regain my Art.

It was slow going, to be honest, footwork is a vital aspect of engaging in the movements required for doing any physical activity, let alone Martial Arts, and the most prevalent manifestation of my MS was the complete lack of balance and motor skills.  It took time.

Now, although my skills have not gotten close to my pre-MS levels, I have hope...and I keep working at it because I know that I WILL get it back, and if it wasn't for me deciding that I was NOT going to miss a SHIMMER event (and I wasn't even diagnosed at the time, I had no clue what was wrong with me, just that I wasn't going to miss going) I would be worse off in my fight for my own body that is having MS.

That is part of the reason why this next SHIMMER tapings in October (you can get all the details at http://shimmerwrestling.blogspot.com/) is going to mean a bit more for me than it usually does.  March tapings were the beginnings of me deciding to no longer lay there and take it...October is going to feel special to me, a place to not only form a benchmark for how my recovery is progressing, but also the place that was the inspiration for me!  SHIMMER will ALWAYS hold a place in my soul, because I would not be the man I am now without it.

Thank you, SHIMMER!  Thank you, Dave Prazak.  Thank you, Cheerleader Melissa.  Thank you, visiting joshi.  Thank you, afterparty SHIMnanigans.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

See you in October!