FEZ

News from:
Jessica Walsh
At the young age of twelve, I had surgery
for scoliosis performed by Dr.
Randal Betz. I feel fortunate that I
had the opportunity to be at Shriners
Hospitals for Children-Philadelphia
for such a serious procedure. Before
my surgery, it was painful just to sit
in school and now I am able to do all
the things that I enjoy.
At the time of my surgery it was
difficult to understand what was
happening to me and why. Now 10
years later, I understand that what I
thought was a misfortune turned out to
be the most important event of my life.
The realization that life can be
unbearable without a healthy body
is what brought me to yoga. Yoga
became my life’s passion. I learned
the importance of taking care of my
body, a lesson that I want to pass on
to others. As an adult, my life felt
meaningless because I was not living
my passion. I left my office job with
a clear vision of how to make my
dreams a reality. I knew that I was
meant to help others with the struggles
of maintaining a healthy body
and realized that I had a natural
ability to work well with children. If
healthy habits are developed at a
young age as adults, they will be
easily maintained.
That is how I came to realize my
purpose and today I teach a yoga
based exercise program to children
that I call YogiDance. My program
provides children with an opportunity
to learn the lifelong lessons of how
they can take care of their bodies.
I feel fulfilled knowing that my
program will enrich their lives and
make the world a better place.
I know that if it were not for the
great care that I received at The
Shriners Hospital, I would not be
living my dreams today. With my
YogiDance Program, I aim to show
other children that they can overcome
obstacles and have a healthy
life in order to follow their dreams!
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