I have known Yvonne since high school. Though we were in different class, we saw each other often in the school corridors and our circle of friends to add each other on Facebook many years later after graduation. When she turned up at our November Project pledge workout early this year, I was very surprised and excited to see her! Since knowing her better at our NP workouts, I was touched by how long she had to convince herself to show up at her first workout with us and the reason why.
Yvonne was sixteen when she started noticing the flakes of white around her skin. Brushing it off as dandruff, she didn’t think more to it.
As it started to spread, she decided to see a skin specialist. The skin specialist diagnosed it as psoriasis, a skin disorder whereby skin cells multiply up to 10 times faster than normal and as underlying cells reach the skin’s surface and die, their sheer volume caused raised, red plaques covered with white scales. Psoriasis typically occurs on the knees, elbows, scalps and caused discolouration and crumbling of fingernails and toenails. As the skin specialist showed her photos of other psoriasis patients, he also warned that psoriasis can lead to arthritis and softening of bones, and if not carefully controlled, death.
All these were overwhelming to her.
As there is no cure to psoriasis, the only control she could take over psoriasis is to manage her stress and be as healthy as possible to boost up her immune system. She started working out. The psoriasis went away for a while but it came back again. Discouraged, she gave up.
She picked up running again last year, but she ran alone.
Then she saw one of my November Project posts on Facebook. At that time, I was posting up the #myyff100days where each day, we were given a set of workout from Ridley and each workout that we did, we would contribute RM1 to a charity jar. She thought, “I have a crazy friend!”
She thought of trying but a voice held her back, “Nooooo… you see, sportswear is just too short! It will reveal all your marks and scars!”
Her voice went on and on for months… She liked our official page, our posts, liking what she saw from afar but her voice continued to haunt her.
The one day, she said to herself “It’s okay. Ing is there. Don’t be afraid!”
It was a Sunday pop-up when she finally braced her to show up. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t there yikes.
She walked up the stadium stairs and she didn’t see anyone she know. The muscle man she saw on our Facebook page (cough! Ridley!) wasn’t there too.
Now she was afraid.
“Hey, you drove a long way here. For nothing? For another lonely run across the road?”
Just show up. Just show up.
She braced herself.
She searched for a friendly face and sat down next to Jennie Taylor. She remembered Jennie said to her “I always try my best in all my workouts here, just try to complete it with your best effort!”
From then on, she started coming to our Wednesday mornings. She never felt more excited and accepted. November Project became incredibly important to her.
Half year down the road with November Project, she realises she is different.
And this year, she achieved something she thought she never could. She finished 9 th place in her second ever full marathon and broke an incredible PR time. Despite recovering from an injury from training, she never missed a Wednesday workout. As she was racing, she remembered the hills we climbed, the ass-to- grass squats we did, the voices of Ridley, Mark and her friends in November Project jia yu jia yu, you got this, you can do this, you’re almost there… and she went faster up the hills elevation and never broke pace.
It’s the November Project spirit ingrained in her… don’t stop halfway, finish it.
For showing up,
For being brave,
Yvonne is now a closer friend and an important member of our tribe.
This effect of November Project, it goes beyond words. It changes you. It changes the person you recruited into the workout. It changes the person who recruited you. This living, breathing, ever encouraging, ever loving community of November Project can just be the change you are looking for today.
Announcements:
: Recruitment challenge is on this week! Every new person you bring, co-leaders Ridley, Harry and I get down to do 10 burpees. Get recruiting!
: Crate Escape Social next Sunday! 5pm at CrossBorder, Marina Square! We still need volunteers for our storytelling. Be brave and share! More details here!
Have a wonderful week!
No Monday Blues with this tribe!
