Day 250 - My Invisible Motivator Bella

Bee Coz I....have hit day 250, i thought this was a good day to share with you that i have had a secret invisible motivator on my journey to fitness, when i would feel the pain of asking my body to do things it had never done before like jogging, i thought of my little secret motivator Bella. When you read her story you will see why.

I was just fighting for health, she was fighting for her life....

 

Anabella Ringgold was born on May 27, 2009 with a rare skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa, or EB. She had the rarest form, called Recessive Dystrophic, or RDEB for short. A single gene in her body responsible for making the anchor that hold her skin to her body was defective. This caused blisters and wounds to occur all over her body, including her mouth and entire GI tract. Any kind of friction, rubbing, bumping caused blisters to form, or it caused her skin to shear clean off. Life expectancy is under 20 years due to risk of malnutrition, infection, or squamous cell carcinoma. Although pain and discomfort was constant, Bella remained bright and cheerful, bless her heart. Though currently there is no cure for EB, Bella took place in a clinical trial at the U. of Minnesota where through Bone Marrow Transplantation, she grew her sister's skin on her body over time. Unfortunately, she died from complications of transplant on October 11, 2010.

 

There was Bella fighting for her life and i was finding it hard to motivate myself to get healthy, the day that thought hit me was the same day i sat in the spa with Connie and decided no more road blocks or excuses. That was my Day 1. i have been so motivated since then.

 

Bella's family is amazing and continues to inspire me, despite the fact that her Dad Tim goes for Arsenal FC (just joking Tim). They continue to fund raise for  a cure for EB. Check out Bella's Blessings to find out more.

 

Thanks Bella for making me wake up to myself - Bee