No Life Without It

I had always been sick, tired, and weak. There were times I couldn’t even walk from the bedroom to the kitchen. In 1986 I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus. Several years later I saw a top neurologist who sent me to the Kessler Institute (where the actor Christopher Reeves was treated) where I was an outpatient for six years. The head doctor diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia. She told me that the best thing I could do for my health was T’ai Chi. She said it had as many benefits as sleep.

When I met Margaret O’Conner, my T’ai Chi Chih teacher, I had just recovered from having a nonmalignant tumor removed from my spine and a double neck fusion. I was weak and fragile but knew I had to get back to living a normal life. That is when I began doing TCC. I began with seated TCC and built my way up.

Doing TCC has become part of my life. I do it daily for ten minutes and sometimes twice a day. It gives me increased energy, and I now have normal balance (my coordination had been poor). With my health issues and surgeries it’s easy to get depressed, but TCC has helped with stress reduction. TCC helps me keep things in perspective and gives me strength. With my Fibromyalgia and surgeries (including recent neck surgery for a compressed spinal cord), strength is a major problem. By doing TCC I have less pain. It also gives me flexibility and has lowered my blood pressure. I have recently come down with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and have developed sensitivity to cleaning products, toothpaste, perfume, food preservatives, and other daily products. Although this affects my breathing and I wear an air purifier around my neck, I know TCC helps me breathe more easily.

My grandchildren enjoy doing the Seijaku warm-ups with the sounds. One of my favorite movements is Six Healing Sounds because when I do them, I feel like I’m giving energy to my inner organs. I have read many articles saying how important it is to do TCC, and I could not picture my life without it. I am thankful for Margaret’s kindness, wisdom, understanding, and help. I thank Chilton Hospital for making TCC available to seniors like me. I have made many friends.