Covid Survivor Is Now Walker, Cane and Pain-free

The whole Vintage Fitness team is so impressed with and proud of Serena. She has endured so much in the last couple of years yet continues to move forward with determination and a smile. We have learned so much from her about how to face difficult situations and thrive.

Serena Richmond is a survivor. Her first serious encounter with respiratory illness and having to be put on a respirator was in 2012 when she was hospitalized with bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza.

Then is April 2020, she contracted COVID-19 and was again hospitalized and put on a respirator for two weeks. While she was strong enough to fend off COVID with the help of the talented clinicians at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the ordeal left her with significant hip and upper leg limitations and pain requiring two weeks of intensive rehabilitation at St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital. After discharge, a physiotherapist was assigned to work with her at home two days a week for the better part of a year. 

That’s when Serena’s sister, Marissa, found Vintage Fitness. At the time, Serena needed both a walker and a cane to get around. She started taking a weekly Vintage Fitness class led by Vintage Founder, Erin Billowits and Personal Trainer, Pamela Fitzgerald. This helped her to regain her strength, improve her balance and relieve her pain.

In January 2021, she started working virtually one-on-one with Personal Trainer and Posture expert Shirley Khouri and, in January 2021, Serena transitioned to in-person training with Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach Jennifer Ferguson. 

While her hip is much better and Serena is fully mobile and able to get around on her own, she continues to work on building her strength and stamina, and improving her balance as she continues to focus on weight loss.

When asked about her Vintage Fitness experience to date, Serena says, "So far, so good. I love both of my trainers dearly. They push me but are understanding about my limitations. They are very kind, gentle and understanding."

“Everyone at Vintage has been wonderful,” she says and she's grateful to have Vintage in her corner. In fact, Serena thinks there should be more organizations like Vintage! We couldn’t agree more.

During her time with Vintage, Serena has achieved her original goals of getting rid of the walker and cane, and is, for the most part, pain free. She continues to work on weight loss, something she has always struggled with.

Serena enjoys good health today and continues to get stronger. According to her current trainer, “she is always cheery, ready for her workouts and brings an enthusiasm and commitment to trying her best to every workout.”

As someone who was given a 50/50 chance of survival, Serena says, she’s feels grateful, and is living proof that there is most definitely life after COVID-19.

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Jennifer

Vintage Fitness

Vintage Fitness is a personal training company in Toronto, Canada. We specialize in energizing the lives of people over 50 with exercise.