Age is nothing but a number!
Where do you go, where do you turn to surround yourself with healthy people? The following story is of a women who is an inspiration to those who are striving to stay active as they age, who are living with chronic pain, and who are fighting back to overcome setbacks.
Diann Uustal is the fastest woman over the age of 70 ever to swim the 50 meters. She is also the most unlikely. Fifteen years ago doctors doubted she’d ever walk again after she broke her neck and back and severely injured her spinal cord in a car accident.
She poured her heart into rehabilitation, fought through the pain and was doing better than expected when he had another major setback. She slipped and fell on the wet floor of a public restroom tearing her hamstrings and breaking her shoulder. The result was more surgery and more months of grueling rehabilitation.
Swimming was her path back to becoming whole. She became so much more than that. She began swimming competitively in Masters events and her success has been nothing short of astounding. She has broken 91 U.S. Masters swimming records and was recognized as one of Swimming World Magazine’s Top 12 World Masters Swimmers of the Year.
She still deals with lingering pain from both incidents every day, but uses it to remind herself how far she’s come. “I’m so grateful for my family, friends and my faith,” she says. “And I’m determined to show it every time I get in the water.”
Diann was concerned that when she turned 70 she might start slowing down. But now, it’s only pushed her to focus even more on not letting that happen and the results are there to back her up.
“It actually helped me break a couple of records because I actually started to worry I might be slipping. I had to prove to myself that I wasn’t.”
Hear Diann’s full story here – https://bit.ly/2LRG7YG
Diann is an inspiration to those who are striving to stay active as they age, who are living with chronic pain, and who are fighting back to overcome setbacks. And her message to the rest of us?
“If you intentionally surround yourself with healthy people, you’ll stay healthy, too.”