Split Second Spotlight: Speaking Up for Your Body
Despite being a nurse, she had a hard time convincing her doctor something was wrong
You need to listen and speak for your body even when other people refuse to pay attention.
That’s a lesson that Ashley Speaks, a licensed practical nurse who grew up in New Orleans 9th Ward, learned the hard way. Ashley gave birth to her son Asher in February 2018, and afterwards, she knew something was wrong. She had gone back to work at a nursing agency and it was a physical struggle, and even worse, she found that she didn’t have the strength to carry her son and walk at the same time.
“Something was wrong, but no one was listening to me,” Ashley recalls. “I had always danced, and I told my doctor that I couldn’t dance, moving side to side and with my hips. All the doctor did was laugh and say, ‘I never could dance.’”
Frustrated, but determined to be heard, Ashley went online, researched her symptoms, and went to a neurologist.
“And lo and behold I found out I had multiple sclerosis.”
Multiple sclerosis or
MS impacts the central nervous system, disrupting the flow of information between the brain and the body. People with MS report a variety of symptoms including fatigue, vision problems, numbness, tingling, mobility issues, pain and muscle spasms. Despite her diagnosis, Ashley continued working until 2020, and then in 2021, she found out about an inclusive gym for people living with disabilities.
She had been going to physical therapy when one day her therapist suggested Split Second Fitness. Ashley admits that she was hesitant at first, but eventually she made an appointment.
“When I finally went to Split Second, Kierra interviewed me, and I said, ‘Girl, sign me up.”
That was October 2021, and she has been regularly working out at the fitness center. It’s made a difference, and Ashley reports that she’s experienced improvements in her core strength, stamina and overall mobility.
“It didn’t happen overnight and it takes time and dedication to get better,” Ashley says.”The Split Second staff is amazing. They ask the right questions, they listen and they help.”
