After a startling diagnosis, Wendie Marlais, 61, realized only she could save herself.
ONE SATURDAY MORNING IN 1996, I WOKE UP TO DISCOVER I WAS BLIND IN MY LEFT EYE. I was in my late 30s, worked out regularly and was, as they say, the picture of health. But just like that, my sight in that eye was gone! It was diagnosed as optic neuritis, an inflammation that damages the optic nerve. Despite my hopes that it was a temporary condition, I never regained my sight in that eye. After a time wearing a patch over that eye to “let it rest,” I accepted the fact that I still had one good eye and I adapted to my new outlook on life.
I was told that my condition had probably been brought on by stress. Stress? I was a married mother living in Scottsdale, AZ., with two young kids, a full-time job in marketing while providing public relations services for several nonprofit organizations. We were building a new home and selling our current house. I was working 10 hour days and I was finally starting to realize that the man I married was sick—his demons were drugs and alcohol. This was life and if it was stressful, it felt normal to me.
MORE VISION PROBLEMS
Over the next couple of years, I had to be hospitalized several times when my other eye started to fail. I was a fighter and I was determined to do everything I could to keep blindness at bay! Fortunately, they were able to save my right eye with some heavy doses of the steroid Prednisone, but my vision and overall eye health became a constant worry.
A LOT TO JUGGLE
From then on, life just got rockier. I started a business with my husband that crashed and burned, so I took a job as the marketing manager for a high-end resort in Scottsdale. At the same time my father’s mental and physical health began to fail. He lived in a nearby apartment, but he was getting more and more confused, and caring for him took up more and more of my time and energy.
Denne historien er fra March - April 2019-utgaven av Pilates Style.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2019-utgaven av Pilates Style.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Finding New Momentum
Overcoming obstacles caused by the pandemic, the virtual version of this popular festival still achieved its goals.
Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey
In his authoritative biography of the first woman to open a studio, Reiner Grootenhuis delved into her personal papers to tell the harrowing story of her time in a prison camp during World War II.
Racism in the Pilates Industry
Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.
For Self-defense
Moves of the Month
Comfort Food Made Healthy
This fall, cozy up to tantalizing comfort food that’s also healthy. A new cookbook from Kristin Cavallari shows you how.
Pilates Postcard
A Pilates teacher shares how the method is making waves abroad.
The Ultimate Gift
One year ago, Kahley Schiller’s life was completely upended by an extreme health crisis. But thanks to her 20-year Pilates practice, the 40-year-old was able to recover quickly.
Revelations
For Sarita Allen, a star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a protégée of Kathleen Stanford Grant, Pilates was key to her decades-long career.
Meaning WITHIN THE Movement
The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.
PILATES IN THE HOOD
Though she’s trained many top stars, Kim Carruthers says she’s most proud of her work as the founder and director of a nonprofit bringing the method to underserved communities.
