Happy International Women’s Day to all those AMAZING women out there! Who is your inspiration? I would like to dedicate this day to my mother, Donna (AKA Donna-Rhonna). She is one of the strongest women that I know and has certainly been a huge inspiration throughout my life. She has always lived an active lifestyle and that certainly rubbed off on me at a young age. Raising 3 children certainly kept her on her toes, but she still managed to make time for herself to take care of her health. This allowed me to see my mom as an inspiration and a strong woman.
In her early 30’s, she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called Scleroderma. I was a young child at this time and had no idea what my mother was going through. Can you imagine getting diagnosed with a disease that doctors knew little about? To make matters even worse she was trying to raise 3 young children while my dad was working long hours to provide for us. Scleroderma hardens your skin and can become fatal if it hardens your internal organs, along with many other negative side effects. Despite the negative diagnosis the doctors gave her, she dusted herself off and continued to live her life and to raise her family. I am sure this was not an easy task many a days when she did not feel like getting out of bed.
My mother has now had Scleroderma for 30 years and continues to kick its butt. The two things that have helped her to prove all of those doctors wrong is her positive attitude and her willingness to stay active and to keep her body moving. The mind is a powerful thing, she has taught me that with her actions throughout my life. Watching my mom stay active by making time for herself and her workouts has obviously driven me to live a healthy and active lifestyle. My career choice certainly has had a lot to do with having active parents. I would like to dedicate this day to the strongest and most inspirational woman I know. Thank you mom for kicking Scleroderma’s ass and for proving those doctors wrong!!!!
Karen Mullarkey
“No Mullarkey” Personal Training
IFBB PRO/WBFF PRO/ISSA CFT