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A Slice of Humble Pie with P2
🥧 A podcast where we curiously explore nutrition, fitness, mindset, sports, wellness, & beyond. ☕️Host @parastoobadie
A Slice of Humble Pie with P2
Living Well with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Coach Jocelyn's Story
What does it take to transform from a non-athletic kid into a dedicated Muay Thai coach?
According to Jocelyn Bolduc, it involves a lot of perseverance, passion, and an unexpected turn of events. This episode features Jocelyn's extraordinary journey from being inspired by action movies to stepping into the ring, experiencing both thrilling victories and crushing defeats. His insightful reflections on competitive spirit and an unforeseen concussion that led him to discover his calling in coaching are sure to captivate and inspire our listeners.
Jocelyn's story takes a poignant turn as he discusses his battle with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an autoimmune condition that brings its own set of challenges. He recounts how a trip to Thailand underscored the significance of stress management and rest in alleviating AS symptoms. Jocelyn's initial fear and confusion upon diagnosis, followed by his search for credible, hopeful information, provides a real and relatable perspective. Through candid conversations, we explore the role of fitness, diet, and stress reduction in living with AS, spotlighting inspirational individuals who have not only coped but thrived despite their diagnosis.
A rich trove of practical advice comes in the final segment as we explore the lifestyle changes Jocelyn has made to manage his condition. We delve into the empowering concept that while pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional, highlighting the immense power of mindset. This episode isn't just about overcoming physical pain—it's a celebration of resilience, the human spirit, and the transformative power of coaching and community.
To support Jocelyn's fundraiser, please click here.
Website: https://parastoobadie.com/podcast/
Email: asliceofhumblepiewithp2@gmail.com
Instagram: @asliceofhumblepiewithp2
Welcome back to A Slice of Humble Pie. I'm your host Pitu, a nutrition and fitness professional, a lover of pie and a curious human on planet Earth. Today's guest is Joslin Molduki. He's a passionate Muay Thai coach in Ottawa, Canada, at Ottawa Fight and Fitness. Today on the podcast, he is sharing his experience living with ankylosing spondylitis, which is known as AS, and it's a type of arthritis characterized by long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine. Jos' 39th birthday is coming up next week and to celebrate, he has decided to raise money for arthritis through Muay Thai. He shares the details in this episode and the fundraiser is linked in the show notes.
Speaker 1:Joss is one of my favorite people. He is an awesome coach to many incredible athletes and fighters and he's been instrumental for my growth in Muay Thai. Even while I've been out in Southeast Asia, we have continued to have many conversations, growing as coaches and athletes. It's with much pride and joy that I welcome him to the podcast, where he's stepping out of his comfort zone to be really vocal about his story and a great cause. A huge welcome to you, Joss. Let's get right into it. What sports did you do growing up and how did you get into Muay Thai in the first place?
Speaker 2:Well, growing up I didn't do any sports really besides maybe playing some street hockey with my friends, maybe the odd basketball game, but nothing competitive. As a teenager I was more of a nerd, like playing Dungeons and Dragons and video games, so I didn't really get into an active lifestyle until I had maybe late teens, early 20s, late teens, early 20s started lifting weights at that time and then only started Muay Thai just before I turned 25. So from a kid I would always watch action movies like Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. That's how I first got introduced to Muay Thai, with movies like Bloodsport and the Quest and Kickboxer. I always thought it was super cool. And then at some point I had friends sign up for a gym to do jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, so I'm like I'm going to join with them.
Speaker 2:At that point I had no. My fitness level was pretty basic. I was fairly out of shape too. I think I was around 270 pounds at that time. So my only goal then was have some fun with my friends and maybe lose some weight, but nothing besides that. And then, so like I said, I started with kickboxing and jujitsu, and then the gym I was at at the time a few months after I was in, they hired Sasha, dave and Chris to teach Muay Thai. And then I was like now's my chance to do Muay Thai. So I switched kickboxing to Muay Thai. Fast forward a couple of months, the trainers asked me if I wanted to fight Sure, why not? So I dropped jiu-jitsu completely just to focus on Muay Thai. And then the rest is history.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that you started with Jiu Jitsu. I can't picture that at all, because you're so passionate about Muay Thai. Like just you, starting in Jiu Jitsu is the fact that I didn't know about you. That's fascinating.
Speaker 2:It did not last too long, I think maybe eight months.
Speaker 1:What was your Muay Thai competition career like then?
Speaker 2:So I started fighting maybe a year into training, so around 2011, I had my first fight, won that first fight by TKO in the second round. It was the best feeling I had ever felt. I'm like I want to keep doing this. So two months later, at my second fight super tough loss on points, that fight I remember feeling like I didn't know shit. I didn't know what was going on. Most of the fight was in the clinch and my clinch was very bad. At that time I remember the guy keep doing the knee guard. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? And then that fight lit a fire under my feet. All right, I need to learn fast. I need to learn a lot. So I just kept training.
Speaker 2:A few months later, I went to Thailand for my first time. Me and Sasha went to Phuket for a few weeks. Then a few months later, I amateur fights and then I fought all the way through 2017. In my last fight I got a very bad concussion. So that put me in my fighting career in question. All right, I'm going to take some time off from fighting and from sparring until my head gets better fighting and from sparring until my head gets better.
Speaker 2:And then by the time I felt like I was ready to do some hard sparring. I'd put on a lot of weight. So I'm like, eh, maybe I should be, maybe I'm just done fighting. Then COVID hit and then I knew I was fully, fully done with fighting. And then I knew I was fully done with fighting but in the meantime I started coaching the other fighters and helping them get ready for fights. So I realized how much I like coaching and just holding pads. I just went from fighting to coaching and even back around maybe my third fight. I was like I don't think I can be any good at that, but I work hard and I'm coachable. So I think later on I could be a good coach. So I'm like, let me rack up experience, know what I'm talking about. Later on I can coach.
Speaker 1:You really did find your calling with coaching. You're a phenomenal coach and everything that you demand of your athletes. You're already showcasing yourself, but I think the best part about your coaching is your passion, and just your compassion. I just made a little rhyme your, your passion and your compassion.
Speaker 1:I'm really happy that you decided to coach because, like you've been monumental in my Muay Thai life and, I'm sure, many athletes let's talk about the some of the hard stuff that you experienced. So I remember this because I think I started 2017, I think is when I joined. I remember it was my 30th birthday actually, so it was December 13th 2017 and it was the end of, I guess, when you stopped fighting and you were really into coaching and then we got into let's fast forward into the pandemic, and I know you were mentioning that you had started to notice some differences in your body from various symptoms. So if we want to start talking about how that felt in your body and then we can tell our listeners a little bit more about the autoimmune disease that we're talking about today, I started to notice that something was wrong.
Speaker 2:That something was wrong was during the summer of 2021. It was during the bulk of the pandemic. Everything was still mostly closed, everything was going slow. So all I could do was run, cycle and swing the one kettlebell I had at home. So I was doing that a lot and at some point I went for a run. I just couldn't run, like my back was hurting way too much. Every few steps was pretty much agony. Maybe I'm just overdoing it. So I went and got a few massages Kind of up with my back a little bit, but the benefits would stay for maybe like a day or two at the most, sometimes even just like a few hours. Right after the massage. I'm like, nah, maybe I need to take a break. So I rested for a week or two. Didn't get any better, got more massages Nothing significant happened. And then pain went from my back to my neck. I was cycling and I remember any bump felt like my head was loose on my shoulders, kind of those bubble heads you see in some cars. Something's wrong with my neck. So I decided to go see a chiropractor just to see if that would help. So I had, I think, maybe five sessions with a chiro. First session I felt great. I felt like I was on track to get better. That lasted about a week. And then every session after I felt like I just got worse. All right, maybe that's not the way to go. And then by that time I was putting on a lot of weight, despite not really changing my diet much. Then I didn't take in any vacation time for a couple of years because with COVID I was working from home, didn't feel like I was doing much, so everything was still mostly closed. I'd saved up a bunch of vacation time. And then, early 2022, thailand reopened of vacation time and then early 2022, thailand reopened. So I'm gonna go for a for a long vacation.
Speaker 2:So I went to Thailand for two months and during the first few days I was there I started. I started feeling a lot better, like significantly better, with training twice a day, feeling pretty good. And then things were still like bothering me. I had lost a little bit of range of motion in my neck and my kicks were kind of forced. So I'm like, let me try doing some physio, because on a previous trip to Thailand I had some hip issues that got fixed with physio. So I'm like, let me try it again. So I went and got some physiotherapy in Thailand. Helped with my neck a little bit, but mostly improved, but not fully fixed. So I kept training and during the last week, maybe 10 days before I was to come back home, the pain started increasing again.
Speaker 2:When I got back home I'm like, all right, let me go see my doctor. So I went to see my doctor, explained my symptoms, was telling him that rest would make it significantly worse. For example, if I watched a movie on the couch, I could barely get off the couch after or in the morning. I thought I wasn't fully rested from sleep and I would feel super, super stiff in the mornings and then, as I move, things would get better. So he sent me for MRIs, x-rays, blood work and then referred me to a rheumatologist. So I then found out I had an autoimmune condition called ankylosing spondylitis and that condition is pretty much your immune system going on overdrive and attacking your body, and what your body does to compensate is create a lot of inflammation in your spine and SI joints that causes your spine and SI joints to fuse together. So that's what happened with my neck and my back pain. It was just my spine starting to fuse. I started getting treatment for it I think May 2023, after getting the diagnosis at the end of 2022. Since getting the right treatment, I feel significantly better. I'm losing the weight, I'm back to training Not as hard as I was back when I was fighting, but I can move significantly better. I can run now. I can just feel more normal unless I'm in a flare, but otherwise and now with hindsight, I can tell that symptoms didn't start in 2021.
Speaker 2:I had them since maybe mid-teens, late teens. I remember back then having some pretty bad back pain when sleeping. Back then I sprayed just my mattress. That's way too old, so I would just sleep on the couch or just try to tough it out, find ways that I could sleep without pain and then that kind of went away. So nothing came of it. And then, once I started working for the government, the back pain came back. At that time I'm like it's pretty, just because I'm sitting too much sitting on my wallet in my back pocket Went to see the doctors. They prescribed, I think, some back pain medication or maybe some physio. It went away. So I thought I was good Back then. Nothing came of it.
Speaker 2:And then, once I started fighting, would fight, then get injured, which was always my lower back or my hips, like I would always think it's just from overtraining. I would do physio. It would get a little bit better then. Nothing come came of it. Then, I think 2015,. I remember I fought in January, then fast forward a month. I thought I fell on my ass too hard during sparring. That caused back pain, but that stayed from February until I went to Thailand in November of 2015. I could barely kick, I couldn't run at all. I was in pain most of the time and nothing would really make it better. But then, like I mentioned earlier, I did physio in Thailand, got much better pretty much instantly, so came back. Everything was normal, kept fighting.
Speaker 2:And then 2017, after I was done fighting, uh, the symptoms came back again. I'm like maybe, maybe there's something else. So, 2017, I was still trying to figure out what was wrong with my low back. I thought I had sciatica, so I was doing stretches, for that Didn't get it much better. I was doing still lots of massages, like some would work, some wouldn't. So I didn't really find any relief.
Speaker 2:And in the summer of 2017, I fell into a pretty bad depression, which I thought was due to the concussion I'd suffered a couple of months prior to that, again, I went to Thailand. Things got better while I was in Thailand. Then I know what's going on with my body. I can look back at everything that happened and every time I got better, pretty much was back when I was in Thailand. And the one thing that happens every time I go to Thailand is that I don't have any stress from daily life. So no work, no responsibilities. Really, I could just decompress, so my stress levels would go down, my body could rest. And now, right before I started on medication, like any stress would send me into a flare. If anything was stressful, I would feel my body tense up and just like not freeze, but like a car rusting out, kind of wow, that's a story.
Speaker 1:I don't blame you. I don't think anyone in your position would take any of the symptoms you were experiencing, especially while you were fighting, and think that it's an autoimmune condition. Like, why would you think that so right, you, only you. You only you know what you know, until you know better, as they say. So that sounds like what 1015 years of you experiencing the symptoms.
Speaker 2:I think it's closer to 2020.
Speaker 1:Wow, so you had two decades of experiencing these symptoms? Oh, yeah, you mentioned in your teens. So when you finally, like you mentioned in your teens, so when you finally, like you mentioned hindsight in 2020, but when someone actually said, hey, joss, you've been diagnosed with, as like what went through your mind at that moment?
Speaker 2:at first, uh, I was scared because I'd seen the the disease name, the name of the disease on my uh, my doctor's computer screen. So I googled it before getting the diagnosis. The first few things I've seen I saw like were pretty scary. For example, uh, there was a picture from a man, I think from the 19 1950s, living with ankylosing spondylitis that bent over permanently. So I'm like, am I going to end up like that? And then I read some more, saw that, while there is still no cure for it, there are still ways to live with it without being too impacted Modern medicine. Now, while it cannot cure it, it can stop the progression of the disease. Hopefully I'm still going to be, I'm going to remain the state that I'm in right now.
Speaker 2:First few months were very scary and then I decided to reframe my thoughts. Instead of looking for the scary stuff, I tried to look for success stories for people with. As. I found a lot of people were treating it using fitness, and that made sense to me because, like I said previously, sitting on a couch would make it. Like I said previously, sitting on a couch would make it significantly worse. So I decided to just keep moving my body every day and then reduce my stress, try to fix my diet as much as I could and try to find any little ways that I could make things better. I also found other people with the condition, one of them from Reddit that I think she's from Singapore, living with AS and is a multi-fighter. So got diagnosed, got treated and started fighting again. So, oh, that gave me hope. I also found competitive runner. He's running ultras with, as it's a pretty uh bad condition. But it's not that sentence, it just keeps me even more motivated to to stay fit what a beautiful outlook.
Speaker 1:Like, you have such a strong mindset, and I want to dive into that a little bit more. But one thing, uh, as you were mentioning, I can imagine the fear and our normal responses to Google everything which we can go down a rabbit hole and every symptom can always fear monger. The worst, the power of the internet. You went down the Reddit rabbit hole and then you found, you know, connection and I'm so glad that you know the irony of one was scaring you and one gave you connection and hope, so that's amazing. I just want you to touch on some of the lifestyle and dietary changes that you mentioned, like what, what were they specifically and what helped? What were they specifically and what helped?
Speaker 2:I looked up what foods were inflammatory, so I started using those as much as I could. One thing I did, too, was reduce my alcohol consumption by a lot. I almost don't really drink anymore and if I do, I try to drink the least bad stuff. I do, I try to drink the least bad stuff. So taking out beer, as I found causing a lot of issues for me, I reduce. I try to keep my gluten intake as low as possible because I find my body does not react well to it. Though I haven't been tested for gluten intolerance, I just noticed that it's not sitting too well with me. Also kept a notebook keeping track of all of my symptoms and what I was eating and trying to find a cause and effect with my diet. I haven't found any strong correlation, besides the gluten, alcohol, so I also started taking more supplements like magnesium, vitamin B, vitamin D, omega threes.
Speaker 2:Like I mentioned previously, stress is a big, big factor for me, so I tried to reduce that as much as possible and to address that. I decided to be more vocal about the condition and that that really helps. I also go to the spa maybe once a month. Once every other month, decompress, do cold plunges and then heat cycle, and that that's very helpful too, now that I know that work is impacting my stress levels. I've been on stress leave until since the end of April and, moving forward, I'm gonna take a lot more time off to make sure my stress levels don't go as high ever again, or choose the stress that I want to experience over the stress that is forced on me.
Speaker 1:I'm just nodding as you're speaking and smiling because I am really proud of you. It's hard once you actually step up and take that ownership of self-care, but it sounds like you really did everything within your control and I and I know firsthand that even with every, all the different things you've talked about, you reached out to other professionals. Like you were still in conversation with your doctor, with the athletic therapist, with the physio, with the, with the naturopathic doctor. We had a lot of conversations about supplements and food and you know you were very curious and took a lot of ownership and like, advocated for yourself and the steps you've taken in all areas, but especially the mindset that one's essential because that was more you know, an internal shift. You can't, you can't just pop a supplement, even though it's obviously the influence one another, because I know that you've also taken that a step further to really build on it for your coaching, improving your coaching. So let's talk about the mindset part.
Speaker 1:How has that shifted? Now that you mentioned you've been managing your stress and you previously mentioned that you reframed to see all the positives and, however, anyone with as and like all the awesome they've been able to do, how have you specifically shifted your mindset in being able to reframe, like, what were the tools that you used and how are you using it now, while you're an athlete still, and in your coaching?
Speaker 2:Well, one thing that I keep reminding myself pretty much every single day is this quote Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. So that reminds me that, yes, I live with pain, but I don't have to suffer from it. So anytime I start complaining too much, I remind myself of it, so that one takes the edge off of it and usually gets me in a better mood quickly and also reminds me that, yes, I might be in pain now, but tomorrow might be better. So journalingaling very helpful. I'm also keeping keeping track of everything not everything, but like a lot of things that I do as a tool to to show me like how much I can, I can be doing despite living with AS.
Speaker 2:I'm also trying to be conscious about how I talk, about the condition. So I try to say I live with AS, I don't suffer from AS. I think that's an important way to see it, because if we keep saying like I'm suffering from this, I'm suffering from that, if we keep saying like I'm suffering from this, I'm suffering from that, the main message you give to yourself is that you're suffering. So you just I try to remind myself I live with this, I can control how I live as much as I can.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So, to summarize from what you mentioned, a few different things you did was journaling and, specifically, right, you were reframing positive self-talk and, you know, exploring all the other case studies of other people that you know have been dealing with AS. But all the positive, Instead of going down the rabbit hole of all the horrible things that could happen. You really just filled yourself and your headspace with positivity and potential, and that's really admirable. Can you? The other day, actually, on Instagram, you shared an infographic that was really powerful where you were comparing the levels of pain. So for our listeners that aren't familiar, can you please expand on like the degree of pain and like how it feels when you are in a lot of pain and how that shifts? Like what would it be comparable to for someone that doesn't know what AS is?
Speaker 2:The image I shared was the McGill pain scale, or pain index, which goes from, I think, 0 to 50. And AS sits at 32 on that pain scale, which is just about the same as planned childbirth, just below getting your fingers amputated. So that's on paper. My experience with AS was that I'd be in significant pain, like, sometimes bad enough, that like would put me to tears and would just stiffens my body up, really, really bad, to a point where sometimes in a bad flare, I cannot walk, and that that makes it even worse, because those flares are kind of scary.
Speaker 2:When, when those happen, when those flare happen, sometimes I'm like, oh, how long is that that's gonna last? Like, am I gonna be able to walk my dogs? Do I have to stop doing muay thai? Am I gonna be able to go to the gym and teach? And then, if I let those thoughts take over, I'm like, am I gonna be able to take care of myself in like five, ten years from now if that keeps uh going on? Anytime that happens, I I remind myself that no, I'm being uh treated and followed uh by medical uh professionals not flaring as much anymore. So those are just fears that are faceless. So I try to go back to more positive thoughts as soon as I catch myself go there In bad flares. Once I put the thoughts aside, I try to just if I can, lie down and just focus on my breathing. That usually helps with the pain and reduces my stress levels. So usually I stay in bed for like a few hours and then can get back up and start moving and once, once I start moving, usually the pain subsides.
Speaker 1:I can understand and appreciate that in that moment, that that does really sound scary, and I could understand that you immediately go to the worst thoughts, like, of course they have like a compound effect. But good for you for recognizing them now and interrupting your own thought pattern. And you know, coming back to your breathing again, what's in your control you mentioned when some of these flares happen. So of course you have to lay down and focus on your breathing. So I'm just wondering how you have. I understand right now you're on stress leave, but when it comes to training and coaching, how have you adapted your training and your coaching and holding pads, which is a very physically demanding, very physically demanding? How have you, how have you adapted all of that to manage the as, especially the flares when you are in pain?
Speaker 2:I think in many ways I had to adapt. The one thing I added to my training routine was I started lifting weights again at least once a week, just to keep a baseline of strength and make sure my joints and ligaments are in good shape to keep the demands of fat holding. I take more risks as I need it. Say, for example, I'm having a bad day, and someone asks me to hold pads for them. If it's a bad day, I'll just say no, today's not a good day for me. I couldn't do it and as a Muay Thai practitioner, what AS did was force me to be a lot trickier and not rely on just power or just brute strength. For a while I couldn't use my right kick at all, so I developed a lot of tricks.
Speaker 2:Justitation that AS put on my body helped me be more mindful of our move, so I can I can find more ways to use what I have, and also it forced me to pay more attention to the body mechanics of all the techniques.
Speaker 2:So when I coach or when I teach, I try to explain how to move a certain part of your body to make sure the techniques are done properly. As also got me some newfound empathy for people with physical limitations, some newfound empathy for people with physical limitations, so I'm really more understanding of others' possible limitations, as I myself have lots of them. So anytime I hold pads for someone, I'll ask them do you have any injuries, do you have any limitations? And before we start, so I can know not to put their body to unneeded stress. On the other end, though, what AS also did to me was highly reduce my tolerance for perceived laziness. So if I see someone that's able-bodied, wants to fight and just not putting in the work, I'm like, if I live with AS, have a full-time job, stuff to worry about, and I can still train harder than you. We have a problem here.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I can find ways now to motivate people to do stuff, just because if I can find ways to keep training, anybody can.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's awesome, just awesome. One thing you said when you were talking about limitation right, there's perceived limitation. So if someone is able, bodied and they're like I can't do this, I've hit a limit, it's like but have you actually like? What is the limit?
Speaker 1:But, if yours is hey, I'm managing load, I have physical pain. There's certain things that I physically cannot do. That's a different conversation, right? So I can appreciate how, like, that's exactly what coaching is Like. You're not you're trying to push someone to better themselves and to challenge their perceived limits, 're not? You're trying to push someone to better themselves and to challenge their perceived limits? So, of course, you're going to push them and then also being mindful of, like, if there is a literal physical limitation and that's, I think, a beautiful balance of both and you are the person that's doing it. So it's really, really admirable. And you sort of demand everyone around you to rise up to your level because, like you said, you have so much on your plate and you're doing it. So is everyone else slacking? Because if you're doing it, then you know we all got to step it up. So thank you for being an exemplary example of what to strive for. The one thing that you mentioned that really stood out, I think, throughout our conversation so far you mentioned that you're more vocal and I have really noticed that, obviously, for the seven years we've known each other, you have just the fact that, even on this podcast, having this conversation and raising awareness about AS and your experience like that's a testament to you. Know you even challenging your own comfort zone. I know this wasn't the most comfortable for you, so good for you and it's just wonderful to hear you talk about it. And it's a privilege to learn about this because even I, knowing autoimmune diseases, dealing with it and trying to support my clients in various issues, I'm still not very educated on AS and it's really cool to learn a little bit more just to see how I can support as well. So my question to follow up on that do you feel that people got wrong when you were experiencing it, or perhaps still get wrong suffering with an autoimmune condition and participate participating in sport?
Speaker 2:that's a good question. One thing I think people get wrong a lot, uh, is that when I mentioned I have dialy with arthritis, most people would say, oh, I have a little bit of arthritis too, in my hands, I think, or I think people don't really know what arthritis really is, or at least not the autoimmune versions of it. Yes, you can damage your body's uh, your body uh and have a little bit of damage to your bones and ligaments maybe, but when it's your own body that attacks itself, it's completely different. Also, people will often be like oh, maybe you should need rest, or maybe you shouldn't be working out as as much as you do. Like, maybe you should stop Muay Thai because it's high impact.
Speaker 2:And really, if I listen to all of that, uh, I would just be making myself worse. So I tried I mostly try to to uh to brush it off when people say that. Another perception that people have is that, well, it's similar to what I just said. But some people are like once you have an autoimmune condition, you're pretty much condemned to just suffer it and you can't do anything about it, which I think is not true at all. Just because you live with a condition doesn't mean you should be stuck and not doing anything to make it better, and moving is the best thing you can do for AF specifically that's it.
Speaker 1:You said it. That's really I can appreciate from you know people that are well-intentioned, thinking that they're giving you advice but, like you mentioned, not everyone knows what arthritis is in the first place, especially when it comes to AS it's. It's something that it's not a common thing, that a lot of people aren't educated on. But even even if it's something uncommon, like as it's still sort of dismissive and bypassing your experience and and because, like from the, the responses you just shared, that people have told you it's like well, how did I know what you have tried or haven't tried? Like right, like you?
Speaker 1:You, just you just spent the past hour telling us all of the lifestyle, dietary changes you made, the mindset work, working with your entire medical team, like you've done a lot and, of course, you're you're the one that knows your body best.
Speaker 1:So if someone's like's like, oh, you should stop something that's actually helping you, it's like, okay, well, that's not helpful at all. Maybe you should have a conversation and get to ask some questions and understand the context instead of just like the word condemn you just used I don't know if you saw my face went ooh, because that's a very powerful that's. It's a very powerful word and I'm glad you used it. Yeah, it's like you're, you're doomed, you can't live now. That's it. It's like give up everything that brings you joy. Um, especially when you were talking about Muay Thai, it's like that's a thing that you're really passionate about and it's helping you. Like, just because it's a high impact sport doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad for you, because you have obviously learned how to navigate it and adjust it to your level. Now your birthday is coming up and I know that it's your 39th birthday and you're hosting a fundraiser to raise more awareness and money for AS, so please tell us the details and how we can support you.
Speaker 2:So my birthday is coming up on September 4th. I'm going to be turning 39. And for that I decided that I was going to hold pads for 39 rounds. I've been thinking about doing that for a couple of years. I've been thinking about doing that for a couple years and then I just didn't really. I just wanted to do it, just to do it. And then this year I'm like why not do that to raise money for a charity? And then I figured why not do it for Arthritis? So that's pretty much how it came about. But I also got inspiration from Sasha's Muay Thai Ironman a couple years ago.
Speaker 2:On my birthday, I'll be holding pads for a minimum of 39 consecutive rounds. I say minimum because what I plan on doing is, for anybody who's making a minimum of $20 donation to the Canadian Arthritis Society, I'll be holding three rounds for them. So if more than 13 people donate, that means I have to do more than 39 rounds To raise awareness and to get donations for it. I started doing posts on my Instagram account to one raise awareness on AS and then link up to the donation link to the Canadian Triad Society. So the link is available from my Instagram account. Any $20 donation opens you up to three rounds and if you're unable or unwilling to hit pads yourself, you can assign your three rounds to someone else. That someone else can be one of the fighters at Ottawa, fight Fitness or whoever you know wants to hit pads with me. The fundraiser is obviously not limited to Fight and Fitness members, but anybody who wants to donate. If you want to donate from Thailand, you can do so and someone will hit pads for you eight pads for you.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, we're going for the 39 rounds, but assuming that there's a lot more coming in, which I hope is the case, what? Is your financial target Because there's only so much pads you can hold.
Speaker 2:I set the financial target to 5,000. I figured we raise I think 10,000 or 12,000 for mental health to my entire Ironman. I think five is pretty conservative. It was also like the pretty much the ballpark for the arthritis society donation drive. So I think 5,000 is a good goal.
Speaker 1:So I am positive that you're gonna hit that and obviously even possibly surpass it and I'm glad that you're calling on the entire more type community and friends. It is a wonderful cause. You have done so much for the more type community and you are honestly a testament to just without even as just someone to strive for, to be as an athlete and as a coach. So the fact that you're doing it all while you're living with AS is just like nothing but inspirational. So just you know, calling on everyone around the world let's do this. All the details are in the show notes. Before we wrap up, is there any final thoughts you would like to share with our listeners?
Speaker 2:I'll just remind them of that quote I shared earlier. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. So you decide whether you want to suffer or you just want to live with your pain.
Speaker 1:Powerful. Thank you for reminding us all and thank you for joining me for this hour and really educating me on a topic that I'm still learning about. I want to reiterate you spent a whole hour talking and being very vocal and good for you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
