Friends,
Day of Endurance – Amazing!
I wish I could come up with words to be able to share our experience together on Saturday. I guess the words that come to me most as I reflect on the day are: Getting together, unity, joy, love, determination, great food, sharing, achievements, gratitude, inspiration, family, friends, etc.
It absolutely amazes me how many people did so much in order to make this event possible. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would all be getting together 14 years after Mary Jo, Lowell, and Jerry put together an indoor triathlon and included some of us with MS. This MS-Just Keep Moving family continues to grow through the love of people with MS. I couldn’t be more proud of all of you for engaging at all levels the way you did. Friends with MS, volunteers, family members, financial supporters, etc. Thank you!
Mike did an amazing job with the National Anthem again this year. Thank you, Mike! My kickoff talk fit the theme of the event. A LONG talk. Jerry Arata told me it reminded him of Paul Harvey. Page 2. 😊 Thanks, Jerry! If you want to listen to the talk, Mike was kind enough to record it and Kate was kind enough to post it on YouTube. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/PpxKI3MQV2s
We had a great group to start swimming with at 6:00am. Some of us swam 2 miles and felt pretty good afterwards.
The bike rides were a lot of fun. It was great to see so many people out there enjoy the trikes and bikes, the route and each other.
The walkers worked really hard at doing the best they can despite how challenging walking might be. Our friends with MS walked a few steps to 24.5 miles and everywhere in between.
Rebounding was fun for our friends with MS as well as the young ones again this year. Rebounding is so good for all of us with MS who can do it.
We also had people on the grit chairs, the standing machines, friends giving massages, stretching people out, doing Reiki, etc. The food was AWESOME! Thanks so much to everyone who made food, brought food and shared their gifts of great cooking with us.
Kate and our volunteers are absolutely amazing. This was our fourth year of doing this event. Kate and our volunteers made the event run like we’ve done this before. We are so blessed and fortunate to have Kate and such great volunteers. THANK YOU, Kate and our volunteers!
Our friend, Tom Holtackers did his Day of Endurance in Minnesota again this year. Tom, at 82 and has been in a wheelchair for many years, did 20 miles on the Upper Body Extension machine. This is 5 miles further than his last three or four years of joining us from afar. Nice job, Tom!
Instead of my nature pictures this week, I will put more pictures from this event at the bottom of this e-mail. We will also run some pictures on a slide show on Friday at the gym. Thank you to all who took pictures and shared them!
This event is so much more than physical achievements. To me, it’s the pinnacle of our mission coming together for an entire day sharing so much love and encouragement while we push ourselves to the limit of what we can do despite our challenges with MS. It’s so great to see so many family members and friends coming together in this way. “Friends Helping Friends with MS”. I also love that we’re bringing additional generations to the event. If one of us has MS, our entire family has MS.
Thank you, Cal for taking these wonderful pictures and sharing them with us. You did a great job capturing the spirit of the event. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your pictures on the big screen Friday. You sure got some good ones! Perhaps Linda will have some for us to enjoy as well. Thanks, Linda for also taking pictures so we can share.
Next Year’s Day of Endurance
Saturday, August 28, 2027
Save the date 😊
Day of Endurance Sharing Session – Friday @ 11:00am
I would love to hear how you did, what your challenges and achievements were and what you’re looking forward to going forward. Like we did a couple years ago, we will have a sharing session on Friday from 11:00am – noon at the gym. I hope you will come and share your experience as well as hear about others experience. Thank you so much for engaging in this journey and experience. If our friends with MS wouldn’t engage and show up, we wouldn’t be able to experience it together and share.
Students from Carroll University
When you come to the gym this week, you will notice how clean it is and a lot of the brush is cleared out on the west end of the parking lot.
We were fortunate to have about 20 freshman students from Carroll University come to the gym this morning and do some volunteer work. They all worked really in the heat and high humidity. They wore me out. Here’s a before picture of the first outdoor group.
Between the first group and the second group, they got a LOT done. They all worked hard and worked together.
I hope we see some of them back again since some of them are going into Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. They were a great group of young people. It’s refreshing to get to work with them for a couple hours.
Thanks, Kate for getting this set up and thank you to all the students who worked so hard. We are blessed to have such great community support. Who knows what the ripple effect will be with these young people. We wish them all the best.
Thursday Morning Walk – It sounds like everyone wants to continue
We will be back at St Anthony’s again this week. If you would like to walk further next year at the Day of Endurance, now would be a great time to start walking with us. We won’t be walking as far as we did while we were building up.
The long-distance walkers will be starting at 6:30 am. The rest of us will be starting at 9:00am. We will be starting from St. Anthony’s parking lot.
St Anthony’s Church
W280N2101 Prospect Avenue
Pewaukee, WI 53072
Come a few minutes early so we can start walking as close to the starting time you choose as possible. Bring water and dress accordingly.
For those who wish they could walk but can’t, we are walking for you and have you on our minds and in our hearts.
Friday Morning Bike Ride
Looking at the weather for this Friday, it looks like we will need to watch the weather. We will not ride if it is raining. Watch your e-mails and Facebook if it’s iffy.
We’ll be meeting Friday morning at 7:00am at Nettesheim Park in Pewaukee. It’s on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street. The GPS address is: N26W27495 Prospect Ave, Pewaukee, WI 53072.
Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00am as possible. We’ll ride until about 8:45. Let’s ride and have some fun!
For those who wish you could join us but can’t; please know we have you in our hearts on these rides. We’re riding with you and for you. I hope you too can join us someday.
Closed Labor Day
Since we are open five days per week now, we will be closed on Labor Day so we all can enjoy the holiday with family and friends. Happy Labor Day weekend to all!
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
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.
Janine and the people who engage in our nutrition program discussed gut microbiome this week. That’s such an important topic for all of us living with MS.
If you are not engaging in our nutrition program, I would highly encourage you to do so. At least read the handouts that Janine and Maria prepare for us each week and apply the information into your lifestyle.
Here’s a link to the full handout:
Nutrition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K98esD2r1GqSKwvhrVlPJZhZp3wv9XLb/view?usp=drive_link
Janine and Maria put a lot into these presentations. It’s wonderful for them 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 and Maria!
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 go 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 this Friday, September 4th, 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 – Shannon Guetzke
Shannon’s consistent hard work is paying off for her. I loved how much family and friends support she had at the Day of Endurance. I’m so happy for you, Shannon! Keep up the great work, I have a feeling you’re going to do even better next year.
Ed and Adam’s Podcast
Adam and Ed had created a podcast that’s All About Adam…AAA
Here’s the link:
All About Adam by Positive Vibes Living with MS
Social and Leisure Activity
Strong Strides Class – Wednesdays from 11-11:30 over 7 weeks from 9/9-10/21. This is a limited-time class offered by the Bryant & Stratton College PTA students! This session focuses on weight-bearing strength at the hips, knees, and ankles meant to improve walking mechanics. If you attended Dr. Sarah’s presentation on knee hyperextension, you have introductory knowledge on the types of exercises that will be targeted. This class is for individuals who are currently walking – with or without an assistive device and hope to widen their exercise variety in a group setting to gain strength and confidence with walking.
Educational Sessions
Friday, September 4th 11:00 – 12:00pm: Day of Endurance sharing session. Let’s celebrate our successes from last Saturday’s event with those that were there and those who couldn’t attend.
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/
Friday, September 18th 11:00-12:00pm: Lauren E. Shuda, MD, Assistant Professor Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin, will talk to us about spasticity management.
Friday, September 25th 11:00-12:00pm: With the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period coming up from October 15 – December 7, along with some of you who may soon become eligible for Medicare, there will be a presentation about Medicare, September 25. Rick Talbert, a licensed health insurance agent, will be giving the presentation called Medicare 101: What You Need To Know. It’s for individuals new to Medicare as well as those already on Medicare, but who may have questions or would like an updated review.
Friday, October 9th 11:00am – 1:00pm: Somananda Yogi will present to us about Traditional Medicine. Please come with questions for Yogi to learn how it can help you manage your MS symptoms.
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 😊
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.
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.
Dr Ng Needs more participants
Dr Alex Ng from Marquette University reached out to me with this message. I would highly encourage you to participate in this research if you’re able to.
HI Dan,
I want to resend our study recruitment notice for our “singing study”. We actually have two studies going and we can sort eligible participants into the best one for them. Note that our age range has expanded to 20 to 80 yr. Still not completely inclusive but a step in the right direction. Any help you could give us to help get the word out would be appreciated! Thanks for what you created for the MS community.
Take care,
Alex
Alexander Ng, PhD, FACSM
Professor Emeritus
Program in Exercise Science
Department of Physical Therapy
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
414-288-6209 (ph)
414-288-6079 (fax)
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.
Our Facebook page is private. That means you’ll need to join if you want access to all our fun and progress. We broke 700 friends! We’re now at 705 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 will be taking another load in soon. Our total is 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. Instead of nature pictures this week, I thought I would share a few more of Cal’s pictures from the Day of Endurance.
Many of us started at 6:00am. Sure is a fun and happy group.
Friends Helping Friends with MS
When Mike sings the National Anthem, it always touches my heart. This year especially as Susie and Katie held the flag. When my heart gets touched, my eyes leak.
It was so good to see Rich there this year. Is he happy or what? This event is about so much more than our physical achievements. We’re so fortunate to have Julie and Andy with us as well.
Becky and Mitch were so kind to be with us and help stretch people out. Amy and Gregory agree.
Rick and crew. So much joy 😊
I love it when people with MS walk together.
Check out the beads on the rim of the hat along with that proud smile “Just Keep Moving” Warms my heart 😊
Al’s having too much fun. I love it!
The Food was AWESOME! It was so cool seeing everyone get together this way. I love seeing the kids having fun too. That’s making the best of living with MS in so many ways.
If you did better than last year you get hit the gong and…we celebrate together. The gong was going off all day.
For those who didn’t get here this year due to your challenges with MS…my heart is with you. You were missed and I hope you can come next year. We’ll keep doing all we can to stay ahead of our MS.
