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Introduction Text Hi, my name is Judith; I have been a member since July 9, 2010. I am a Mother of 2 adult children and a proud Grandma of 4, 3 girls and 1 boy ranging in age from 28 to 12 years. They are the light of my life. I have been a wheelchair user since 1995 as a result of a work accident in 1993. At that time I began a journey that would see me losing all mobility from the severe nerve damage, and a compromised central nervous system, and be bedridden for 1 year. I had home help several times a week for personal care and household chores. That was back then... Hallelujah, my life changed drastically about 7 years ago; I began to get some of my body function back with a lot of hard work, special exercises, physiotherapy, cortisone injections to the neck and spine. Today with God's help I am able to use a manual wheelchair in the house, am able to get myself to a standing position, am believing for total healing and am believing I will walk again one day. Praise the Lord! And the best part I am doing all of my own household chores, cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and basically enjoying life and Ministry in my Church and Community. Update: May 2021 I saw my Facial-Cranio Surgeon and he is concerned with the issues I presented him with. He is concerned about spreading disease when he opens my face lip and mouth again so has sent me back to my oncologist for guidance on what is the best approach to take. I see my Oncologist early June and back to Surgeon in July. This next surgery will clean up disease areas and do reconstruction at the same time. It's a big surgery. I am trusting God for His Guidance and Wisdom for my Medical Team. I am so thankful to my Spark Friends and Community who offer me so much support and love. I will keep you updated as I hear urther from my Medical Team. Would so appreciate your prayers. In closing, I encourage you all and cheer you on your healthy journey. Continue to eat healthy and find the exercise that is right for you. Tracking works and helps us to stay accountable. The Fitness Tracker is great, and Spark People has Exercises for all needs, me in a wheelchair offers me many cardio and strength training fitness (Chair Aerobic Fitness) that help me to stay as healthy as I can, even with me having Cancer and Severe Nerve damage. In the 11 years I have been a Member I have found great support from all the Resources that are available to its members. Let's Keep Sparking on Together....God Bless you all... Update March 4, 2021 I realize I haven't updated my Spark Page for a while. After being followed up at Cancer Clinic February 2020 I was referred to a Head and Neck Surgeon for immediate surgery (May 1, 2020) for malignant melanoma (skin cancer) on face upper lip and inside of upper lip to mouth. It was a massive surgery which has left me in a fragile state even 10 months later. I have been followed up at Cancer clinic with treatment scans tests and am looking at a 4th surgery sometime in next few months to clean up the areas of concern and for facial reconstruction! I have lost massive weight which has left me with being underweight at 103 pounds, down from 130 pounds at diagnosis. I am being followed up with a Nutritionist at Cancer Clinic trying to calculate calories to keep weight on at least. I am waiting on more blood work to be done. I trust the Lord daily for His strength and for His Healing touch upon my body. God is in control and I leave it with Him for His perfect Will to be done in my life! As soon as I know about next surgery I will let you know. I so appreciate SP and all my Friend's here, you all are such a Blessing in which I thank God! Keep Sparking, Track your Food and Keep on with your Fitness, we can do this, Together we Can! Spark On my Friend's! Up-Date July 10, 2020 July 9, 2010 is the day I joined SparkPeople, wow 10 years! These past 10 years has seen many changes in my life and that of my family! I have come to know this awesome community as one who has taught me a new way of living! And along with accessing the many tools that has shown me better Nutritional suggestions, recipes and teaching me how to eat healthier and better to give me a healthier lifestyle. Especially now, with my Cancer diagnosis in July 2019, it is much more impirtant to eat better to support my compromised immune system and access the many tools that will help me to have a stronger and healthier body as I utilize the many Nutritional & Fitness tools that are helping me to meet my goals! Thank you SparkPeople for Standing with me and helping me to achieve a healthier "me"! And I want to say Thank you Spark Friend's for your Valued Friendship & Support! I couldn't do this without your support! So today I say; Happy Happy 10 Year Sparkversary to "Me" Up-date February 2, 2020 Since my last post there have been a number of changes and challenges I have gone through, Last July 2019 I was diagnosed with malignant Melanoma which was on my face and included upper lip and the underside of the upper lip on left side. The biopsy results said it was a spreading type and surgery was immediate. I had surgery in August and in September, as I was recovering the same mass grew back along the scar line by mid November. I was referred to Vancouver General Hospital to see a Pathologist who called in same day an Oncologist and Head and Neck Surgeon, microscoptic pictures, measurements were taken of the site. I have since had numerous blood tests, scans with a Pet Scan last week and have another ultrasound & biopsy scheduled and will be back to Cancer Clinic for surgery on February 28th. I also will expect various types of follow up treatments i.e. Radiation immunotherapy after the surgery is completed. When that is done I have also opted to follow up with a Naturopath for IV therapy using a number of natural meds that are to slow down the growth and promote healing in the body. I am trusting God that all these treatments will promote a cancer free healthy body to the Glory of God! Thru all this I thank God for all the support I am receiving from my Spark Friend's who are standing by me showing me love, care and kindness. The Tools here at Spark help me to stay as healthy as I can with good Nutrition Helps, Menu's and Great Fitness Video's. Spark People is such a wonderful place to be and always bring just the right amount of support one would need. I thank God for His Strength, Love and Care, He Holds me in the Palms of His Hands...He Leads me every step of the way! Thank you Spark Friend's for your Support and many Prayers! Up-date May 2, 2019 Since I was here last I thank God for His continued strength and helping me to live a healthy lifestyle. I am thankful for the tools SP provides. I encourage you all to make good use of all the tools that are here. The Fitness Video's are fantastic. I use several even modifying some for a wheelchair user, chair aerobics are just right for me and for anyone that needs to sit doing their fitness. Remember it is not so important whether you sit or stand, but to move our bodies we have to stay fit and strong. In July I celebrate 9 years as a Member, I am thankful for this site and especially for all my Friend's I have met here. God Bless you all; Let's Keep Pushing on Together...You CAN do it.... Up-date November 2, 2018 Since my last up-date I have seen my grandkids celebrate their birthday's for another year, I celebrated my 8th Spark Birthday in July and my Biological birthday on October 5th. It has been a great year and I continue to enjoy Spark and all my Friend's and Team's I lead here. I work on my Weight Maintenance and keep as Healthy and Strong as I am able. I continue to maintain my optimal weight with an average weigh in at 125lbs, My optimal weight is between 123 and 125 pounds; I now am on the higher end but feel better at that weight which also gives me a BMI of 21.5 which is in the normal range. So overall I continue to do well. Thank you Spark for this great Community. I am thankful for all the Resources, Teams and all my Friend's I have met along the way. In closing I encourage you all to keep Sparking, Tracking your Nutrition and Fitness and Keep pushing yourself, Raising the Bar to your Personal Best...Let's Do this Together... God Bless you! Up-date January 10, 2018 Wishing you all a Happy New Year and God's Blessings, my prayer for you is that your year will bring many blessings from our Lord and Savior along your way and you continue to grow in the things our God has for each of you... I thank God for Spark People and all my Spark Friend's. I am heading into Year 8 on July 9th... Hard to believe but with this great Network it has helped me to maintain a healthier lifestyle and to maintain my optimum weight level. As I journey here I am gaining new ideas in how to get stronger with using the new Fitness suggestions to add to my daily regime and try out new recipes that help me to stay within my calorie range. This past year I have been encouraged to increase and maintain a proper balance in my Fiber intake. I encourage you to Track your Food and Fitness as it works and keeps you accountable and helps you to stay on track! Let's Have the Best Year Possible and Keep Sparking On for another Fantastic Year..God's Blessings, Your Friend, Judith Up-date March 18, 2017 As always I want to say thanks for your support and your care this past year. Since my last up-date I have experienced a lot of health issues, am under Doctor's care and seeing a specialist. Having issues with Vertigo and Dizziness which put me in hospital just before Christmas and again in January. I am doing much better today but am still being guarded and careful. As far as my program is going, I stay active with my teams and with you but on a slower scale. My weight has crept up and is much harder to manage as I have a lot of issues with fluid retention and with these new health issues I am not able to complete some of my fitness challenges as much as I would like, at one time I was able to do 35/40+ minutes per day of fitness, I struggle to get anywhere from 15 minutes to 35/37 minutes a day, usually has to be divided up to 2 sessions to get my time in. Overall I am much better since the beginning of January so am hopeful my health status will steadily improve. Bottom line, I love SP and appreciate all my friend's here. Thank you for all your help and encouragement here on Spark! Let's Keep Sparking and Pushing Forward being the best we can be! Update July 15, 2017 I celebrated 7 years as a Spark Member on July 9th... I am so thankful for all my friend's I have met here and the supportive network Spark has been to me. Thank you Spark for guiding me every step of the way to maintain my healthy lifestyle. I have learned much and thank God for an awesome group of friend's who continually stand by and cheer me on my journey. Let's keep Sparking on Together!!! God Bless you all.... Up-date July 1, 2016 Dropping by to encourage and to cheer you on your journey. A lot has happened since my last up-date, I have had a couple of relapses in health which saw me gain fluid weight as I retained mega fluid in my body due to a kidney stone diagnosis. I tried laser surgery about a year ago and it was deemed unsuccessful with the stone being lodged in the ureter of left kidney. Last month I had a relapse back in hospital with the stone trying to pass, it had torn the top area of ureter, I was sent back to the Urologist who recommended me for surgery to retrieve the stone, I was scheduled for June 21st @ 11:00am. I have since had surgery and am recovering but it hasn't been an easy one, have had 2 set-backs which put me back in hospital due to passing blood clots and severe pain. Today the clots are under control and is the pain with meds in which I thank God. I am in a weakened state but with healthy eating and being well hydrated I am coming back. I am so thankful for SP and all my friend's here who support and cheer me on...SP is the Best, if you are new and still wondering if you should try it, I say, Go For It, you won't be sorry, the tools and teams that are here will help you in whatever state you are in. I know, as it is coming up to my 6 year Sparkversary of being a member, I am so very thankful....In closing this up-date; as always I stand with you & cheer you on! Up-date May 29, 2016 This past year has seen it's ups and down but overall I have had a good year in the Lord. God is good. Earlier this month I was re-elected on our Women's Ministry Executive at my Church for another 2 year term serving as Vice President of WM. This past election was a 100% support by our Ladies with nominating and electing us both as President & Vice President. I am honored to serve the Women of our Church for another 2 year term in God's Strength and His Grace. Praise God! I continue to oversee Prayer in our Church as Prayer Ministry Leader and teach a weekly Ladies Bible Study, this year I am teaching the Book of Isaiah. What an honor and privilege to serve in these areas of ministry and to teach God's Word. Overall my health remains stable regarding the Chronic issues, however, I have had a set back regarding kidney stones with a stone lodged in the tip of the ureter which now requires surgery that is set for June 21st...I trust God for His healing touch and for a speedy recovery. Thanks all for your prayers... I am heading into my 6th year with Spark on July 9th, it has been a wonderful 6 years, have an awesome group of Spark Friend's and am enjoying everyone of my Teams I lead. SP is the best .. .Thank you Spark for your great Network of Many Helps which is assisting me to lead a healthy lifestyle... Let's keep Sparking on Together 1 Step and 1 Day at a time. Together we can accomplish our goals and be the best we can be in God's Strength..... Up-date July 20, 2015 Woo-hoo, I Just Celebrated another Anniversary. Just realized that I have been a member for 5 years with SP celebrating my 5th Sparkversary on July 9, 2015. It has been an awesome 5 years, a lot has happened in 5 years, I have reached many milestones with my body getting stronger and healthier and at the same time there have been many up's and downs along the way, with personal and family circumstances. This past year I have lost 3 close friend's 2 were Spark Friend's and this past Tuesday my beloved Dad passed away. You are wondering how I stay strong in the midst of that, it is my FAITH in God as He is the One who sustains me. I also have a group of Spark Friend's who stand by my side supporting and cheering me on each step of the way. My Spark Friend's are awesome... I thank God for Spark People and the great Network they bring to us. I have gleaned a wealth of knowledge and wisdom learning how to live a healthy lifestyle, received many helpful tips for exercise and new recipes. I have found that tracking my Food and Exercise makes a huge difference in how I maintain my weight and stay strong. Tracking also makes me accountable to my Spark Network. Having said that, I am thrilled to celebrate another year at Spark and look forward to many more. So I say to myself; Happy 5th Sparkversary, I stand with you all and Cheer you on to Healthier Living. We can do this together 1 step and 1 day at a time... Let's Keep Sparking and Shining for Jesus.... Up-date July 8, 2014 Tomorrow July 9th I am celebrating 4 awesome years at Spark People. I have gleaned a wealth of knowledge and wisdom learning how to live a healthy lifestyle with finding new recipes to add to my cookbook, besides all the helpful information; what has become more important to me is all the support I receive daily from my spark friend's. Spark People is an awesome Healthy Network. I encourage you all to continue Sparking, it works and they are the best Health Network on the Market. I recommend it to everyone who needs support to lose weight and learn about living a healthy lifestyle. I am so happy I'm Celebrating my 4 year Sparkversary! And you can too! Up-date June 10, 2014 Just realized I hadn't up-dated the ages of my grandkids in almost 2 years, what got my attention was seeing my youngest grandson listed as 3 years, he just turned 5 years on May 24, 2014. Hard to believe that this once little itty-bitty baby boy is now preparing to go to school in September, hardly can get my head around the fact there are no more babies in our family and Logan is the last young one entering school this Fall. Besides up-dating my grandkids ages I realize that this coming July I will be celebrating my 4 year Sparkversary... Now that is so awesome, SP has been an awesome network of great support and has brought so many awesome friend's along my path. I thank God for you all and thank God for the many friendships that have been born these past 4 years. May I encourage you to keep Sparking, Tracking your Nutrition and Fitness, it does work, and you will be that much better for it as you keep focused and press ahead 1 step and 1 day at a time... Up-date May 16, 2014 I am rejoicing in renewed strength daily, each new day I am finding new strength and am finding out that I am able to do more than I ever thought possible. I give God all the Glory. My life is built upon my faith in Christ. I trust Him for all my needs and believe in the Power of Prayer. I so appreciate all the prayers of God's people here, your prayers are being answered. I also stay strong because I strive to continue to keep active as much as I can, I exercise daily, eat healthy, always in moderation. I am thankful for SP and for all the healthy tips, articles and new recipes that help me to live a healthy lifestyle. This summer, I will be celebrating my 4th Sparkversary.. It has been a joyful journey meeting so many awesome friend's. I encourage you to keep tracking, exercising, eating healthy and strive to lead a healthy lifestyle. It does pay off, I am living proof of that. Let's Keep Sparking and Shining for Jesus 1 Day and 1 Step at a Time. Together We Can! Up-date January 23, 2014 I am so thrilled that I am back on track with maintaining my weight @ 124 pounds. I am back on track with tracking my Fitness and Nutrition daily. Tracking does make a difference. Exercise, moving our bodies daily does make a difference. I encourage you to keep on pushing, raise the bar to your personal best, you will be glad when you see the positive results living a healthy lifestyle can be. We CAN do this, 1 day and 1 step at a time, remember Baby Steps do get results. I cheer you on, Let's Spark On Together! Update Tuesday September 3, 2013 I am writing this up-date to share the great blessings I am enjoying. I have celebrated 3 years at Spark and have been a better person for it. The Fitness & Nutrition helps have been a great asset. I am gaining new strength and am enjoying a healthier me more than a few months back. The one great change is, all the Bladder & Kidney infections I was having have stopped, I have been free of these painful infections since February. I give God all the Thanks and Glory. I believe with me leading an active lifestyle, eating healthy, keeping hydrated and daily exercise is contributing to me being a healthier me today. I track my food and exercise daily, I have found that tracking does work, it makes a huge difference. Keep sparking and taking 1 day and 1 step at a time, taking those baby steps will get those results you are looking for. Keep Pushing, You Can Do It! I Cheer You On... Update Saturday May 18, 2013 I thank God for renewed vitality and healing in my body, It has been several years since I was bedridden and very limited in what I could do. Today I enjoy new freedom in my body and in my spirit. Thanks be on to God. I am enjoying SP immensely and participating in several Teams, I am leading 4 Teams which I so enjoy. The people on those Teams have become my treasured friends and are a great inspiration and blessing in my life. I am so honored to be connected to such a great network of friends here who truly care and who cheer me on daily. It is now almost 3 years since I joined SP and I must say I so enjoy the fellowship of everyone here just as much as I did when I first joined. Thank you everyone for your support and friendship, you are a blessing. May I encourage you to keep on pushing and keep tracking your food and fitness daily, I have found that as I follow these principles I have been able to maintain my weight with never going over a 3 pound range. I believe tracking what goes in my mouth does make a difference. So whether you are new or a long time member I encourage you to track your food and fitness and stick with your plan. As you do I believe you will be successful and reach your goals. I cheer you on your journey...I believe you can do it...Let's Spark On! Update Monday December 3, 2012 I am happy to report that I was able to put all the tools that Spark People taught me about healthy eating and proper nutrition including all the fitness tips into practice while away on vacation and it surely paid off, In spite of plenty of food being available wherever I turned I came home at the same weight I left with. And that my friends is due to the awesome support of my Spark Friend's and the network that Spark offers, I was able to maintain my weight, fitness and nutritional intake and stay fit and healthy while away on vacation in October. YES, Spark People Works! I am so excited to be able to share the above report and be back Sparking with you all today. As you know, I have been off line for 2 weeks due to my computer being damaged in the flood I had here while away. I came back on-line as of Sunday when my friend came over and installed a laptop that I can borrow until buying a new one in the new year, what a blessing, I am Praising God for His provision. Having said that, I am now back to encourage you all to keep on Sparking to become the best you can be, fitter, stronger and healthier guys and gals. Let's Keep Sparking and Shining for Jesus, one day and one step at a time! I know you CAN do it! Update Saturday November 10, 2012 I want to give God all the Glory and Thanks for continually giving me the strength to achieve all the things I've done these past several months. I am becoming a healthier gal and fitter because of all the tools & support I get here on SP. The latest achievement I took was being able to go on a vacation that saw me go clear across Canada via train. If someone were to tell me just a few months ago that I would go on such a journey I wouldn't have believed them. Frankly, it would not have been possible had I not been taking care of myself, exercising, and getting stronger daily. My family and all my friend's are marveling in this accomplishment as they have journeyed with me these past few years watching me go from being an active gal to one totally bed-ridden and dependant on others to getting back up and starting all over again. Today I live independently on my own. Praise God, all Glory to Him! I just got back from a 3 week vacation which saw me travel across Canada, visiting my home town, participating in a family reunion, celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday, meet with past work peers and ministry partners and meet some very special spark friend's. This is all due to God's healing power and strength in my life, and because of the supportive group of friend's here on Spark People. Thank you SP for making this network available. It surely has become a lifeline of blessings for me. May I encourage you to keep on Sparking along, pushing forward as this network surely works, and I�m proof of that. Thank you Spark Friend's & Spark People. Thank you Jesus! Up-date: Sunday September 9, 2012. On July 9, 2012 I celebrated my 2 year Sparkversary. I have stuck to the plan and have been meeting my goals one day and one step at a time, I thank God for SP and for all my Spark Friend's who have made this anniversary celebration possible. I am gaining new strength everyday in which I thank God. I'm waiting for the day when the severe nerve pain will cease once and for all. I believe it will one day and the damaged Nerves will repair and heal. Thank you for standing with me and believing in prayer along with mine for my complete healing to the Glory of God! Update: Monday September 12, 2011. I thank God I celebrated my 1 year sparkversary on July 9, 2011. And I have all of you my spark friend's to thank for this achievement, for it was you cheering me on that I was able to achieve my 1st sparkversary. Praise the Lord! Update January 4, 2012, It's now been almost 18 months since I joined SP, I've met so many awesome friend's. This past year I saw my Spark page voted in as a SP Motivator. Wow, what an honor. I took the plunge and allowed my name to stand and was nominated as Director/Treasurer of our Tenant's Association where I live. It sure has been an experience, something I never thought I'd see myself do. Another change, I started a Team of my own, Shining for Jesus, "Christians Supporting Each Other, a place where we can Shine for Jesus as we Encourage Each Other on our journey to Healthier Living" I invite you to join and come and be supported on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. My goals for 2012 are to eat between 6 and 8 servings of veggies per day, exercise at least 3 times a week or more, I'm striving to exercise between 15 minutes to 40 minutes each session, drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. I want to stay healthy and continue to build up my stamina so I will maintain a healthy lifestyle. Indeed SP is an awesome network to belong to. I have found SP to be a great help, the nutrition helps and trackers, exercises and all my neat spark-buddies all have contributed to me getting my life back. Today I'm stronger in my body to the point of my doctor acknowledging that I look more toned and look healthier. Praise God! Wow, isn't that a boost for me to keep on sparking. Yes, I can do it... One last thought, I want to thank God for bringing SP and all my Spark-Buddies along my path to support me in my journey back to recovery, healing and leading a healthier lifestyle. I encourage you to keep at it, SP does work. You can build a healthier you by following Spark People's Plan of Action! Here is one of my life's Scripture Text that motivates me and keeps me going. I pray it helps, motivates and encourages you on your journey... Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

My goal is to maintain my fitness level with building stronger bones and muscles. I know I'm in the minority but I joined for the fitness program not to lose weight, My weight is currently being maintained at 124 pounds. I am 5 feet 4 inches, and according to Spark-People and my Doctor I don't need to lose weight. I have made good use of the Fitness and Nutritional Helps which are helping me tone and strengthen my body and add a variety of new healthy foods to my diet. I am blessed beyond measure with these helpful pages.

I already participate in wheelchair aerobics and lift weights at home. I have found a great page and new exercises that will help me to maintain my strength and build a stronger newer me..

My life is built upon my Faith in Christ, my Spiritual Birthday is August 15, 1977. My Physical Birthday is October 5. I am a Canadian born gal, and live in Western Canada. I am the mother of 2 adult children and a proud grandma of 4, 3 girls and 1 boy.

I enjoy reading, crafts, computers & researching my family roots. I play an active leadership role in my Church, Vice President of Women's Ministry, Prayer Ministry Leader & Teach a Weekly Ladies Bible Study. I also sing on the Worship Team as a Spare when Needed. Work History: Nursing, General and Psychiatric, Medical Lab, Counseling, ACE, Taught the ABC�S of Learning to Read Program, 100 Huntley Street Counselor , Counselor at Inasmuch House- Missions Services of Hamilton.

Add a Link Team Leader Shining for Jesus Team Leader God's Amazing Grace Team Leader God Answers Prayer Team Leader Partnership Accountability to the Finish Line Team Leader Christians Walking in Faith Co-Team Leader for I Can Do All Things Through Christ Co-Team Leader Jesus, The Way, The Truth, The Life
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