Friends,
Bluemound Road Closed
Just like living with MS, many times, the paths we’re on get changed. That doesn’t stop us and just because the road to the gym is closed, we can’t let that stop us from coming to the gym. We just need to take an alternate route.
Construction work on Bluemound Road is set to begin June 8, 2026, and continue through August 28, 2026. https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/news/posts/highway-construction/
There is an alternative entrance to the industrial park located off of Springdale Rd. across from Majestic Theater. The name of the road is Northmound Rd. If you are traveling from the West on 94 you will get off at Hwy F down to Moreland, and if East Brookfield Hwy 18.
The address to that theater is: 770 Springdale Rd. Waukesha, WI 53186 – it may be helpful to put this landmark in your GPS when traveling here.
Bryant & Stratton Students and Leaders
Wednesday this week will be students and leaders last day with us until September 9th. We will have the same students and leaders back from September 9th – October 21st.
We have been very blessed to have them with us the past 8 weeks. At 9:30am Wednesday morning, the students are going to share some of their experiences while being here and some of the progress they seem our friends with MS make during this time. Some of the progress has been quite remarkable!
Let’s learn from the students tomorrow during their presentations and thank them for being here and helping with all they helped with. Let’s keep working hard this summer so we don’t lose the progress they helped us make and look forward to them coming back in September and making even more progress.
Thank you so much to the Bryant & Stratton College Physical Therapy Assistant Program Students and Leaders for making this experience part of their curriculum and engaging so well. This is win / win for all of us in so many ways. THANK YOU!
Golf Outing – This Friday, June 26th
Baskets and raffle items came together nicely! A huge THANKS goes out to everyone who went out and solicited donations for us as well as those who made a donation. Also, a huge thanks go out to our volunteers who put the baskets together and organized all this for us…THANK YOU!
Stop in the lunchroom and check out all the items. We will be selling raffle tickets and silent auction items on Wednesday. If you’d be willing to buy some raffle tickets and bid on some silent auction items, you can do that. You do not have to be present to win. We will be packing everything up Wednesday around noon.
Last day for golf raffle baskets and silent auction bidding at the gym is Wednesday, June 24th. Afterwards, the items will be available for bidding at Wanaki Golf course during our annual golf outing (6/26).
We will be doing the prayer group in the back again this Wednesday. Thanks for understanding and cooperating. You can have your room back next Wednesday.
Let’s pray for nice weather and a great experience for the golfers and hope we raise a bunch of money for our mission. We are so fortunate to have this golf outing put on for us…thanks to our friends at ePlatinumHealth.
Eric Hovde and Nathaniel Scott visit
Last Friday, Eric Hovde and Nathaniel Scott visited the gym. This was the second time for Nathaniel and first time for Eric.
Eric lives with MS and has quite a story about how it affected him and how he got some relief from his symptoms for 20 years or so. I always say everything happens for a reason. Once Eric saw what was happening at the gym, he shared his story with all of us who were there.
Eric is one who has always engaged in exercise at a high level and eating as healthy as he can so he’s giving his body the best chance he can to beat his MS. He fit right in with us and our mission. I was really impressed with how much Eric encouraged us to take care of our gut health. I loved how he shared his extensive knowledge about MS so freely and spoke with so much confidence and passion about the future of MS.
I asked if we could record his talk and share it on MS-Just Keep Moving YouTube Channel. He said certainly. Here’s a link in case you missed it or want to hear it again.
Eric’s presentation: https://youtu.be/_7ocegbcKAc
Thanks so much, Eric and Nathaniel for coming here and sharing your experience, knowledge, passion and love as well as your support!
Want some Movie Theatre Popcorn?
Gregg works at a movie theatre and has been bringing extra popcorn in by us. If you’d like to take some popcorn home with you, feel free. Just bring your own container in so you can keep it fresh. Thanks Gregg!
Educational Videos
More of our speakers and educational presentations are being uploaded on our YouTube channel. Here’s a link, check them out.
https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UClvyB43uSl1wJSoGBJkSeCw
Volunteer sign ups
Since expanding our hours, we are seeing a greater desire from our members to come to the gym more days per week. We’re hoping these opportunities can allow our members to continue seeing progress. With more demand and Summer travel, it’s helpful for our leaders and volunteers to see who’s planning to volunteer when.
Indicate when you’re volunteering via the web using this link: link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044BADA72CAAFFC07-63269348-msjkm#/
There’s also an app for the Signup Genius that you can download to your phone called “SignUpGenius” (orange icon). You’ll have to create an account. Then, you can “find a sign up” by searching by a sign up creator’s email address: kborn1234@gmail.com
Christina’s social & leisure activity program is re-starting!
Christina has kindly offered to continue offering her program the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 12:15 – 1:30pm in the breakroom. This program will re-launch on July 8th. If you are interested in hosting a group-based activity like games, gardening, painting, or something else, please reach out directly to Christina at behre176@gmail.com
Let’s get together – Open Gym plus programs!
We’ll be getting together from 7:00am – noon on Monday through Friday mornings at the gym. Plus, Monday and Wednesday evenings from 4:30pm – 6:30pm and Tuesday afternoons for the aquatics program. I hope you’ll join us!
Where:
Wisconsin Metal Parts – Westmound Building
MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.
W228N791 Westmound Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
Email Dr Kate Kern at kborn1234@gmail.com with any questions.
Exercise class schedule Feedback welcome to make this as best as it can be!
Nutrition Program.
This week, Janine and friends talked about tasting grapes and the benefits of grapes. I like grapes. They’re great snacks when I want to grab something quickly.
If you are not engaging in our nutrition program, I would highly encourage you to at least read the handouts that Janine prepares for us each week and apply the information into your lifestyle.
Here’s a link to the full handout:
Nutrition: Nutrition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bLulUDU6Ge0f6mf0Iw0PScCimx_TOxiH/view?usp=drive_link
Janine puts a lot into these presentations. It’s wonderful for her to share these presentations with those who can’t be here. It’s even more impactful for people who can be here in person to get the information first hand and be able to get questions answered and learn from others living with MS.
I would highly encourage you to engage in our nutrition program Monday mornings @ 9:00am so you can benefit at a high level. All are encouraged to come; people with MS, loved ones, care takers, volunteers, etc.
Thank you, Janine!
Prayer Group We’ll be having our prayer group Wednesday from 11:00am – noon.
I just love the way we share, pray and laugh together while we witness prayers being answered weekly. It’s truly amazing!
Thanks goes to God and to everyone that joins us. Let’s get together to share, listen, talk, give thanks, and pray however God leads us.
MS-Just Keep Caring – Our Caregivers support group will be the first and third Friday of each month from 10:00 – 10:30am. The next one will be Friday, July 3rd, 2026. If you’re a caregiver of someone you love with MS, please join us and share your experience of caring for your loved one. This has been very helpful for many. Thanks to all who participate!
Member Spotlight – Todd Siewert
Todd works HARD! He tries to balance his training. For a 60-year-old with primary progressive MS, he does quite well even though walking is a huge challenge for him. He’s decided to concentrate on walking more this year to see if his body adapts to it. So far…the results are showing his body is adapting to it. That doesn’t mean it’s easy for him or that he walks fast but he’s certainly walking farther by walking more consistently.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
Adam and Ed talked were just talking on this podcast. You know how that goes 😊
Here’s the link:
Just Talking by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Thanks Adam, Ed and Ava for doing these podcasts together!
Educational Sessions
Wednesday, June 24th 11:00am – 12:00pm Physical Therapy Assistant Program Students from Bryant & Stratton College will share their experiences about being here.
Wednesday, July 1st 9:00-10:00am: Joy Cochran, DPT, will review her demo of “how to fall” safely and effectively. We all fall, so let’s practice how to do it well!
Wednesday July 15th 9:00- 10:00am – bi annual volunteer meeting
Friday, July 17th 11:00 – 12:00pm: bi-annual volunteer meeting
Wednesday, July 22nd 9-10am: Join Andrew Morris, OTD, OTR/L, an occupational therapist with extensive neurological rehabilitation experience, to learn how the Bioness L300 Go and Thigh Plus systems work and whether they are right for you.
Friday, July 26th 11:00- 12:00pm: join us for a day of endurance kickoff event! Learn about the event, set your goals, and let’s get training in gear for this year’s event on August 29th.
Wednesday, September 9th 9:00 – 10:00am: Independence First is a resource organization for people with disabilities located in Milwaukee. They will share information related to their services and their assistive technology program https://www.independencefirst.org/
Future topics could include: emotional health, nutrition, yoga, tai chi, wellness topics, safe use of gym equipment for your body, best exercise for you and more. What topics would you like to see? Please let Dr Kate, Joan, Traci, Ricky or Dan know.
Day of Endurance Training
Event is Saturday, August 29,2026 – Training is now
What: Do what you can
- Consistent Daily Exercise
- One long day per week – increase each week – no more than 10% per week
- Buddy up and exercise together
- Enjoy the journey 😊
Friday Morning Bike Rides
NO RIDE THIS FRIDAY!
We will have the trikes and the trailer at the golf outing this Friday and will NOT be riding.
We will be back to riding next Friday.
Shoe Donations
Do you have any shoes you can donate? Becky Thomas is collecting old or new shoes supporting Soles for Jesus. These shoes will be distributed to people in need of shoes in Africa. Becky dropped off a box for us to drop them in. Please bring in shoes if you have any extras.
Coughs, colds, flus, etc. – Let’s not share
There are a lot of bugs going around. If you are experiencing any symptoms, please stay home and recover from them instead of sharing with the rest of us at the gym. We look forward to you getting over it and having you back quickly.
Hand-Cycling Opportunity – Give it a try!
WASA is collaborating with Cycle Forward, a program funded and facilitated through the Marquette Neuro Clinic for this event. They have access to three handcycles, and WASA will be providing an additional three, for a total of six.
If an athlete has their own handcycle, they are highly encouraged to register and bring their own equipment. If not, please register anyway. They will be notified if they have a reserved spot or if they have been placed on the waitlist due to the limited number of handcycles available.
As for volunteering, staff from the Marquette Neuro Clinic will be in attendance and can assist with transfers as needed. If you know of anyone who would be interested in volunteering for this event, please reach out to the contact on the flyer.
Research Needs us!
Marquette University, UW Milwaukee, University of Illinois, and Carroll University have research opportunities they would like us to engage in. We have flyers and more information about these opportunities at the gym. Please engage in these opportunities if you qualify. You could make improvements yourself and you could be helping so many other people with MS as they face their challenges. We really need to get this MS thing figured out and you can help by engaging in these research opportunities.
Here’s a research opportunity that Marquette University is doing for all of living with MS. I would highly encourage you to engage in this if you qualify.
Health and Wellness Massage Opportunity – Carroll University
Our Facebook page is private. That means you’ll need to join if you want access to all our fun and progress. We’re now at 698 members. That’s awesome! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709
Our Facebook page is active and fun. Lots of people are doing more and sharing their journey on Facebook. Feel free to join, post and share your experiences and comments.
There were some awesome pictures, videos and comments shared again this past week. Thank you to all who are sharing!
Metals for MS
Thank you to all who brought in aluminum cans, gutters, copper, brass, etc. Please keep bringing them in…you are helping us. We took some more in last week and received another $136.40. Our total up to $2,437.19 so far. That’s really good…thank you!
Parking
If you are able-bodied and willing to park across the street in the Acuity Foam lot so people with mobility challenges can park in our lot, please do so. We want to make it easy for people with mobility challenges to park and get into our building safely. Thank you for doing that!
Gym Open and Close Procedure
If you’re the first to come or the last to leave the gym, please use this procedure for opening and shutting down.
Thai Massage with Ricky and Nyani
Ricky will be here on Wednesdays doing Thai Massage.
Nyani will be here on Fridays doing Thai Massage
Our goal is to serve as many people who come to the gym consistently as we can with these Thai Massage services. Going forward we will be doing a rotational schedule to accommodate as many people as we can who need and want a massage.
There are some guidelines written up at the gym. Please respect the guidelines so we can serve as many people as we can. Please sign up according to the guidelines.
Here’s a link to the guidelines: Thai Massage at MS-Just Keep Moving
Reiki on Fridays
Reiki is available at the gym, for FREE on Fridays with Linda C, 9:30am until noon. Sessions typically last 20-30 minutes. Sign up for a session on the white board.
Reiki (ray-kee) relaxes the body so that healing can occur! The “magic” of Reiki has helped some of our members with pain, insomnia, constipation, and so much more! Try it the next time you are at the gym!
Here’s a Link to information about Reiki: Reiki at MS-Just Keep Moving
Inspirational Humor with Adam Wollert
We’ll be having our inspirational humor zoom call with Adam again next Tuesday. Adam is a gift to all of us. Thanks to all who joined us today!
Please join us if you can.
Tuesdays @ 1:30PM
Here’s the link to join us…I hope you do!
Join Zoom Meeting with this link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9431389152?pwd=bWlYbFNaazVnM1M1cWxWMitlODdXUT09
Meeting ID: 943 138 9152
Passcode: 3qP2hu
Phone: 1-312-626-6799
Let’s reach out
I encourage you to share a smile and encouragement with someone. Perhaps you could call someone that you have not talked with for a while just to say hi and see how they are doing. We all could use a little extra love and encouragement.
MS is tough. Let’s have faith, remain calm, be flexible, help each other and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day as we make good choices and take action.
Let’s keep moving, smiling, and loving 😊 It helps in many ways!
In God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
Our Website: http://msjustkeepmoving.org/
Phone: (262) 232-8552
P.S. I was able to get out in nature a couple times this week. There’s a lot of color out there this time of the year.
The sky has been interesting lately
This Hummingbird was having a sweet day at our feeder
This squirrel is enjoying the corn hanging there. Mmmm…that’s good!
This little butterfly enjoys being free
And the flowers
Some of the flowers are blooming at the butterfly garden at Lapham Peak
This is simple but it caught my eye as I was walking past it.
I sure like the detail in dragonflies
This woodpecker was pretty content
I saw a nice buck the other day
I hope I see this one more as the summer goes on. He’ll be a fun one to watch grow.
For those who cannot get out and enjoy nature due your challenges with MS…my heart is with you. You are with me every time I am out there. I enjoy being able to share with you. I know how hard it is not to be able to get out and enjoy nature. Let’s enjoy nature and God’s beauty together this way.
