Who Am I? A Brief Introduction

I realize that not everyone following this page knows me in real life - which is a good thing! I want to reach more than my friends with this page. So I thought I'd better let people know who I am, and why I am managing a life coaching/inspirational site and Facebook page.

From my earliest years, I considered myself an athlete. I don't remember a time when sports of all kinds were not a part of my life, even in grade school. And since I was in grade school in the 1960's (yeah, I'm old) that wasn't easy to do when you're a girl! The only school sport I could do was track. They had no basketball for girls, no soccer, and certainly no football! I had to play those sports outside of school, with the neighborhood boys. During the summer, though, there was tennis and softball through the Parks and Recreation program, and I gladly participated in those. In junior high we did get to play basketball - finally - but the main sports I did were track and cross-country. By high school, I was a very serious runner, competing in the state finals, and earning a track scholarship at a community college. It was at this point that I decided I wanted to coach track and cross country. In college, I continued competing in track and cross-country, and added basketball to the mix, and studied for a degree in Physical Education/Coaching. I coached track, basketball, and cross-country during and after college. After college, I played softball and soccer, eventually coaching soccer for a couple of years at a local high school.

Then life happened, and I got out of coaching, and went back to school for degrees in Computer Science and Math, playing soccer while I was in school. I ended up teaching CS at the university I finished my degrees at, and then started my own software development company, and spent years as a software engineer. During all this time, I continued to run and workout to keep in shape, eventually getting into bicycle racing. By my mid-40's, I had hired a private cycling coach and was focused on becoming a competitive cyclist. I was working out 3-4 hours a day, biking and lifting weights. I was in better shape than when I was a 3 sport athlete in college!

And then tragedy struck. I got an ear infection, which I thought was no big deal. I missed a week of training, because of severe vertigo. When I went back on the bike for a workout, something didn't feel right in my legs. but I thought it was just the fallout from the ear infection. But two days after that workout, I couldn't get out of bed. I was SO sick! I felt like I'd been hit by a Mack truck! I went to the doctor, who prescribed antibiotics. After two weeks, I was still not feeling better. I went back to the doctor, who prescribed more antibiotics. (I was not able to work during this time.) Weeks later, still not improving, I went back to the doctor, yet again, who just said that I'd been very sick and needed time to recover. So I missed a few more weeks of work. I finally started back to work, but then had a relapse. This happened several times - work, followed by relapse - before I was able to finally be back at work full time. But I still didn't feel well, and was unable to workout. So I started trying to find out what was wrong with me. I went to doctor after doctor, specialist after specialist, and no one knew what was wrong. After several years of futility, I gave up trying to get a diagnosis.

Of course, losing my health in such a sudden and bizarre way was devastating. I became clinically depressed, and started seeing a counselor and taking an antidepressant. This helped me, emotionally, and life pretty much settled down. I was still unable to workout, but I was working full time, going to church, participating in volunteer activities, traveling, etc. From the outside, I had a pretty normal life. But for me, not having sports as a part of life, it was still not the life I wanted or envisioned.

Eventually, my condition worsened. I went back to my doctor who started referring me around to other specialists again. I ended up seeing a local neurologist who never stopped tying to solve my mystery illness. He referred me to specialists all over the country, but no one was able to diagnose me. My condition finally reached the point where I could no longer work. (I had already given up everything but my job, as it was taking everything I had just to make it to work every day.) At this point, I became severely depressed again, having stopped taking the antidepressant and no longer seeing the counselor, because I thought I was OK. So, back to the counselor I went, and back on an antidepressant.

Thanks to my counselor, I was finally learning to accept my "new normal" - that I was chronically ill and disabled. She began helping me find ways to feel fulfilled and challenged, one of which was writing. (Besides Coach Kris, I also have a personal blog and a book review blog.) Years of hard work brought me to a point where I was feeling pretty good, emotionally, despite not having my beloved sports. I realized that the lessons I had learned in sports and coaching - hard work, determination, discipline, never giving up - translated quite well in learning how to live with a chronic illness! Who knew that sports would end up helping me, even if I was completely disabled!

And then a miracle occurred! No, I wasn't cured, but I was referred to a local doctor who was able to diagnose me! I have Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. (You may see it commonly referred to as ME/CFS for short.) Finally! An answer to my mystery! That was the good news. The bad news is there is no cure, only treatment of symptoms. And because I had been untreated for over 13 years at that point, my recovery will take years, and I'll probably never regain my previous activity levels. I am also being treated by the ME/CFS clinic at Stanford University, which is one of the world's leading research institutions for this disease. So, at least I'm getting the best treatment available, even if it's not going to cure me.

So, that brings us up to this point in time. I have been very active in online communities, especially in groups for the chronically ill, and found that I was able to offer a lot of advice and wisdom, from my many years of experience in living with this disease, and all the lessons I had learned in trying to cope. I was inspired to be more intentional in helping others, and this page and Facebook group are the result of that inspiration. With my training and experience as a coach, my years of teaching, and my challenges in learning to live with a chronic illness, I feel like I have a lot that I can offer to people, whatever struggles they may be facing in life. And, let's be honest - everyone faces struggles at some point! My hope is that my experiences may help others who are going through difficult times. With all the things I've learned in dealing with my illness, if I can turn those hard lessons into something positive, something that helps others, then my own struggles won't be in vain.

So, that's me - Coach Kris. Welcome to Life Skills 101!

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