Like most in the spina bifida community, Megan Lenhart has faced many challenges due to her myelomeningocele. At birth, her parents were told she would never walk. Potential institutionalization was discussed. Expect multiple surgeries. There would be challenges galore. A fulfilling life was going to be a big if.
That was 40 years ago. Along the way, she’s dealt with seven surgeries and the slow recovery from them. None stopped her. She graduated from college, after which she was a teacher’s aide. Several years later she landed a job with the US Department of Justice. No, she’s not chasing bad actors on the streets. Rather, she supports field agents from her office computer.
A few years ago, Lenhart had to take medical leave for a crucial foot surgery. She expected to return to work soon, but rehabilitation didn’t go as planned. She was struggling and at risk of losing her mobility.
“My mobility before surgery was bad. I could walk only a few feet before I’d have to stop. I was in excruciating pain in my lower back and legs. I was weak. After surgery I was in a motorized scooter for a couple months, then I graduated to a walker and ultimately a cane. I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk without the assistance of the cane ever again,” she says.
But she wasn’t going to let that happen. To regain her strength, the Woodridge resident embarked on an unconventional path – CrossFit training.
The idea came from a co-worker. Her initial response: “I should do CrossFit? Me, the girl who was told she would never walk and was born with part of my spine outside of my body. I should try one of the most challenging fitness programs out there? I thought for a second and then decided, why not try it. I didn’t have anything to lose. It was time for me to go all in, to go big or go home.”
CrossFit training is known for its intensity. Workouts are customized. They incorporate weightlifting, aerobic exercise and a cornucopia of mobility and balance regimens, from flinging ropes, pulling sleds to rolling tractor tires.
“The first CrossFit coach I interviewed looked at me like I had five heads when I walked with my cane into his gym. I will never forget what he said – ‘You know it’s really hard, right?’ He declined to take her as a client.
Adaptive Sports Fund Supports Cross-Fit Training
As a direct result of Megan Lenhart sharing her story with ISBA, the Kendall Gretsch Fund for Adaptive Athletes now includes CrossFit and other types of personal training as a sports activity eligible for funding. The fund’s application now states:
“The Fund will pay or reimburse costs for Illinois residents with spina bifida participating in sports, including, but not limited to, registration fees, equipment, personal training, and travel, including gas and lodging.”
For more about Kendall and the Fund, visit i-sba.org/sportsfund.
“I left that first gym feeling defeated and thought maybe CrossFit is too difficult for me. But then I thought, even if he is right, I am not going to let him or anyone else determine what I am capable of,” she says.
Lenhart did more on-line research on CrossFit training and coaches in her area. She also set her sights on an ambitious goal – to not only walk across a room, but also without pain. Then she interviewed CrossFit coach J.R. Kremer, director of sports performance at CORE 1 Inc., Downers Grove, IL.
“You have to find the right fit. JR was the right fit for me. He told me that he saw where I was and could see where I could be,” says Lenhart.
Progress didn’t come instantly. For the first six months after she started in 2021, she was still dependent upon her walking cane. But her determination prevailed. Lenhart’s physical transformation has been nothing short of extraordinary, since starting her weekly, one-hour training.
“I can stand for longer periods of time and walk without excruciating pain. I can lift over 100 pounds. I have successfully gone rock-climbing. I have conquered a park that has 123 stairs and gone on a 1.8 mile hike. I’ve lost 110 pounds since I started CrossFit. I’m in the best shape of my life,” she says with glowing pride.
Lenhart’s good news about the benefits of CrossFit training gets even better. She attributes it to the awakening of dormant nerves in her body. She has regained sensation in the lower part of her legs, feet and even the backside of her body from the waist down. The profound impact of this training on her life has been nothing sort of life-changing, she says.
“CrossFit training teaches life skills. Working with JR, I have learned the power not only of the body but the power of the mind. The first time I went rock climbing, I couldn’t get off the ground. When the opportunity came around again to take on that same wall, I felt uncertain about it. What if my outcome was the same? I had been working with JR for some time at that point. I asked him if I should try it again. Without hesitation, he said yes. The physical strength I had gained helped me up that wall, but the power of my mind was equally key,” she recounts.
Are You Ready to CrossFit?
Here’s what Megan Lenhart’s weekly CrossFit training regimen looks like:
Warm up on stationary bike.
Roll-out stretches on back to address back pain.
Leg, core, abs, glutes, arm exercises.
Weightlifting – bench presses and curls.
Step-master exercise to concentrate on balance deficits.
Her results:
Walk and stand without excruciating pain.
Ability to get off floor independently.
Walk longer and faster.
Carry objects without fear of falling.
Throughout the ups and downs of her health journey the Illinois Spina Bifida Association has always been a source of support for her. “ISBA has always provided me with a wealth of resources and opportunities to live a healthy life while living with Spina Bifida. From webinars, informative articles, zoom sessions, and putting on amazing events such as the adaptive rock climbing event that proved to be a very pivotal point in my health journey,” Lenhart says. “I would have never thought to attempt to go rock climbing had the opportunity not been presented to me by the ISBA,” Lenhart recounts. “That one event was part of what changed the trajectory of my health journey,” Lenhart stated.
A born optimist, Lenhart is now on another mission. “I want to spread the word to others with SB and the medical professionals that while surgeries and medical treatment can be helpful, and at times life-changing, I want to challenge us as a community to think outside the box, to widen our scope. CrossFit training is an alternative approach that has worked for me,” she says.
Lenhart’s message resonates as a reminder that there is still much to discover about the human body’s remarkable ability to adapt and heal. Her two-part mantra: challenge the status quo and believe in yourself.