Facts & Arguments is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide.
Four years ago, my daughter presented me with a framed picture of an ultrasound with what looked like a kidney bean on a curved surface. While I started to cry, my husband only wondered why our daughter was presenting us with a picture of aurora borealis! And he was the one who really wanted a grandchild.
Needless to say, we were both excited.
Then a week later, I was working hard, became dehydrated, fainted and fractured my vertebra. After three days of immobility and a four-day trial of a back brace, I needed emergency orthopedic surgery with rods and screws in my back to keep me functional and prevent me from becoming a paraplegic from cord compression. It was a frightening time for all of my family, friends and colleagues. I needed a walker to learn how to walk again. It took several months before my back stopped spasming enough so that I could sit or stand for several hours at a time.
And so, at a relatively young age, I was given the diagnosis of severe osteoporosis and had hardware in my back. I made light of it by saying that I had a back of steel now and could take on more than even before! But the truth was that my life had changed forever. I felt vulnerable and fearful of falls. Dehydration must be avoided at all cost. I underwent investigations to rule out other causes of fainting, which were all negative, thankfully. I gradually returned to work, but at a slower pace. And I was told not to pick up anything heavier than 15 pounds.
While all this was going on, the kidney bean in my daughter's belly was getting bigger. Then the final date arrived and we had a lusty almost nine-pound grandson. Evan had red hair, blue eyes and cried only when hungry. Our very own, very first grandchild. He was as adorable as only grandparents will tell you.
How I wanted to hold him! After all, I had passed rigorous tests that informed my daughter I would likely not faint again (and, therefore, not drop my grandson), as long as I stayed hydrated. I held Evan as much as I could. Initially, my arms would get tired, but then I grew stronger as Evan gained weight. Evan grew like a weed and soon he weighed 12 pounds, and then 15. I was now being chastised for lifting him and holding him for too long because he was over my prescribed weight-lifting limit. I practised great postural hygiene – using my body as a whole to support his weight. As time went on, it became second nature. And as Evan grew bigger, I grew stronger with him.
Evan loved music and dancing. He liked to be held and spun around while dancing. Initially very gingerly, and then with more confidence, I held him and spun around till we were both dizzy and laughing, giddy with delight. His favourite phrase became, "Dance Nani, dance!" Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars was his favourite – and so at the age of 2, weighing fully more than 30 pounds – we danced together. Sometimes, it was only for a minute. But then Evan would recite his favourite phrase, and I would pick him up again and dance for the song's entire 4 minutes 30 seconds. Evan became my personal trainer, never relenting to my fatigue and always pushing for more.
As he grew taller, he learned to manipulate the stereo system by climbing onto a chair. Currently, his favourite song is the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever. Even though it's only 3:11, it seems to last forever, because at age 4, Evan weighs more than 40 pounds. We have to dance to the entire song; if I stop it earlier, we have to start again from the beginning. Such are the exacting, tough-as-nails ways of this puny personal trainer. Once his father had to take him aside and tell him to be kind to me because we had repeated the song at least five times in a row.
I am forever grateful to Evan and his strength-training regime. Even my physician and co-workers have noted how strong and energetic I am despite my injuries and the hardware in my spine. No one knew about the personal-training regime exacted by my grandson. I was having so much fun with him that I didn't even think about my back – any maybe that is the key to my well-being; having so much fun that I can forget about my problems, while always being safe with my posture and movements. Thanks to my little personal trainer, and unbeknownst to him, I have developed great confidence, emotionally, and strength, physically. This will carry me for the rest of my life.
Life has been kind to me. I have an amazing family and circle of friends. I have worked hard, travelled well and entertained heartily. I have hiked in Canada and all over the world, even to the unforgettable Base Camp of Mount Everest. Despite my injury, my hiking days are still not over. I know my little red-headed, blue-eyed personal trainer will continue to keep me strong.
Espi Schmidt lives in Waterloo, Ont.