Gotta Dance!

From the Dane County Lifestyles Magazine:

By Angela Mihm Nigro

Health is one of those things we miss most once it’s gone, and such was the case for Sue Kennedy. Twelve years ago, Sue’s life came to a grinding halt when excruciating pain and extreme fatigue ruled her every moment, seemingly overnight. Kennedy recalls, “One day I was running and the next I couldn’t even walk.” She was only 50 years old.

Active and healthy her entire life, Kennedy was a nurse, a recreational runner and an involved mother and grandmother. At no point in her history had there been any indication that she would need a cane and narcotics simply to function, but for nearly two years that was her reality.

Finally, answers

Blood test after blood test came up negative and doctors were perplexed as Kennedy battled depression and struggled simply to get out of bed. Finally, through specialized tests, the answer came.

Kennedy had lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints and tissues. Kennedy’s body was mistakenly
attacking itself, causing severe damage. While there is no cure for lupus, Kennedy soon discovered that medications greatly reduce the symptoms. Through a strict drug regime, exercise, healthy diet and adequate rest, Kennedy found herself pain-free for the first time in years. She resumed many of her favorite activities, including walking and hiking. Internally, though, the medications were taking a toll.

One of the drugs Kennedy was taking can affect the hipbone, and by May, 2003 she was experiencing severe pain in her right hip. An MRI revealed the damage: Her hip socket was disintegrating and there was nearly nothing left. A hip replacement was the only option.

Although she was frightened, Kennedy underwent the procedure at the hands of Dr. David Rolnick, orthopedic surgeon, UW-Health. The replacement worked, Kennedy says. “I was ecstatic and the pain was gone.”

She celebrated, appropriately enough, by hiking in Olympia, Washington only 12 weeks post-op.

When pain appeared in her left hip in 2007, Kennedy recognized the symptoms and didn’t delay seeing the doctor. She had a second hip replacement, again with tremendous results. She was finally “living life to the hilt.”

Let’s dance

While wintering in Florida, a friend mentioned ballroom dancing to Kennedy, who loves to dance. Kennedy thought it might be just the thing to add variety to her fitness routine, plus it sounded like a great deal of fun. In March 2008, she enrolled in ballroom dancing lessons in Florida and worked with her instructor to reach the beginner level.

When spring arrived, it was time to return to Madison, but Kennedy was determined to keep dancing and quickly signed up for lessons at the new Fred Astaire Studio, owned and operated by Peter and Linda Goethche.
Kennedy describes the partnership as a match made in heaven from the day she entered the studio and the instructors jumped into teaching her competitive material. Soon they suggested that she enter a Dance-A-Thon held in Oconomowoc at summer’s end. That was in May and the trio got to work. Kennedy had only about three months to learn numerous moves, including the smooth ballroom dances like the waltz, tango and foxtrot; as well as Latin-inspired dances like the rumba and the cha-cha.

To prepare, Kennedy took lessons twice a week, practiced every day at home and listened to the music repeatedly in order to memorize the perfect positioning of her arms, feet and head for each patterned dance.

At the studio, preparation was truly a group effort as Linda Goethche assisted with costuming, hair and make-up. Kennedy felt so cared for that she channeled all her energy into dancing her best— with astonishing results.

And the winner is…
At the Dance-A-Thon, Kennedy entered as a newcomer student, and had to perform in 72 two-minute heats over the course of two days. It was grueling, but fun and exhilarating, too. Kennedy says that with each step she thought about how far she had come and “what a miracle it was to be dancing competitively.”

Kennedy was completely shocked when judges announced the competition winners and her name was read for “Top Female Regional Newcomer.” Equally rewarding, she says, was the studio’s recognition for “Most Enthusiastic.” Of the trophy, Kennedy explains, “It is just the icing on the cake of an incredible five-month journey.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, Kennedy continued to dance through the summer, adding new steps along the way and she quickly reached the second level of competition.

In October, 2008, she competed in the open division exhibition with three
new dances in choreographed routines and garnered numerous first-place prizes.

Ballroom dancing gives Kennedy inspiration and motivation to stay healthy and active. Since she started dancing, her anti-inflammatory markers, a measurement for lupus, are the lowest ever, which doctors attribute to her high level of activity.

Only a few years ago, Kennedy was clawing her way out of bed to soak in scalding hot water before she could muster the strength or ability to move around. Now, spinning across the floor, the pain is gone, replaced, she says, with pure euphoria.