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     I will never forget March 1, 20o8 for it changed my life profoundly. To this day, and most likely forever, I am able to close my eyes and sense the darkness of the cloudy skies above me and the chill rising from the snow-covered earth below me; I can feel the coldness of the wintery air. That day, on the ski slopes of Shawnee Mountain, changed the course of my inner life,  it marks the beginning of a return home to my true self and is now my deepest inspiration.

     My husband Todd, our two young daughters, and I set out in the car on our first ski trip as a family.  Todd, who is a proficient skier, was very excited to ski with our children. He loved skiing and was eager to share his joy with his daughters. I, on the other hand, was a bit nervous from the start.   I had only been skiing a couple of times in the past 12 years, I was a novice, afraid of heights, and I hadn’t been exercising regularly for too long by this point. My life comprised of taking care of my family and working, which most women do now a days.  At that time, I was over-stressed from trying to give too much and I was not taking care of myself, even a little.  I really just wanted to get papers graded and to get some rest that weekend.   I recall feeling weak, a nervous sensation and just off.

      The kids took a morning ski lesson, which was great because i thought it would give me the opportunity to get acclimated and to get my confident ski legs back. I am one of those people that thinks I can do anything – if I give it a try.  I started on the bunny slope.  It looked like Mt Everest!  It seemed like i was moving in super slow motion.  I felt almost paralyzed as I stood motionless at the top. It was so crowded and I didn’t want to crash into someone so I was feeling very stressed.   But this was wierd!  I know how to “s” curve my way down the mountain to control my speed.   But that day, I couldn’t seem to get my left leg up and around. I was traveling in a circle back up the mountain! I felt odd and upset with myself.  It was disappointing.  Why wasn’t i getting over this?  Little did I know what was really going on inside me.   It took me nearly thirty minutes to get down that bunny slope.  It all seemed surreal.

      After lunch I was really anxious about taking my daughters down the mountain. I am normally a calm person and during that day, on the outside, I appeared calm, i think?   I did not reveal to anyone the battle I was experiencing inside: mind, body, and soul.  As we were finishing up our lunch, I told Todd I was going to do a quick run down the slope alone before we brought the kids with us. That would do it.  I was done feeling nervous.  I can do this!   I headed outside determined that everything would be okay.   With my family waiting behind, I stepped onto the people mover and I began my ascent up the mountain.  But, as fate had it, I would not be skiing down that mountain again.

What must have been a lifetime of pain and heartFive long days later, my awareness began to return as I slowly opened my eyes a little and found that I was waking up in a hospital bed.   Was this a dream?   Which I was the real I.  What I didn’t know at that moment, was that I was awakening from a five day coma.

      For five days, I laid in a hospital bed in the Intensive Care Unit of the Pocono Medical Center, unaware of the horror that had occurred. As the story was told to me, I had suffered from a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, otherwise referred to as SCA. When I was heading up the mountain on the people mover I had fallen off into a ravine between two large mounds of snow. From a ski lift above, an obstetrician spotted my skis in the air; he hollered and waved futilely. No one saw his attempts for attention. He was stuck on the ski lift and had no choice but to go up to the top of the mountain. Being a medical doctor, he knew time was of the essence.   He left his young son at the top and skied rapidly down to me, hoping he would reach me in time.  Thankfully, on his way to help, he got the attention of ski patrol and yelled to get a defibrillator.

       After the second shock of the defibrillator my heart started to beat again. The doctor on the slope that day recalls that I was “gone” for ten to fifteen minutes and he didn’t expect I would fully recover from such an event.  He knew a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is not a heart attack, where blood flowing back to your heart is blocked.  He knew SCA is virtually the opposite, blood can’t flow from the heart to all the rest of the organs that need it to survive. An electrical glitch causes the heart rate to suddenly jump to 200 beats per minutes, it quivers out of control and unexpectedly stops beating altogether.  He knew death is usually imminent!

      Only 15% of Sudden Cardiac Arrest patients survive.    I survived.   Lack of oxygen to the brain for that long generally causes brain damage.   What really happened?  Why did I survive?  How did this happen?  How did I survive?   I didn’t know, but I knew this- my life is a Miracle.   And so is yours.

So, what is the purpose for this life now?    Will I gain my strength?   These were the questions that haunted me.  Recovery was long and difficult.  I had so much to be thankful for, I was alive and didn’t have brain damage but recovery of my mind, body and soul was a tedious road.  At the time, I was a high school math teacher.  I held with a Mechanical Engineering degree and Masters in Educational Technology.  I was ordered by the doctors to stop working and driving for a year while they monitored me to be sure i didn’t have an accident if it happened again.  There was uncertainty and fear.  I had to have an ICD, implantable cardiac defibrillator, placed in my chest.  I became afraid to do anything for a long while.  There I was, an educated woman, a wife, and a mother of an eight year old daughter and six year old daughter and I felt like a prisoner in my own home. There I was, someone who was once an active gymnast, yoga lover, limber pretzel, lying inactive, limp, lifeless, and lonely on the couch.

      What got me through this difficult path was how thankful and grateful I remained to be alive.  I was blessed to have family and friends that provided love and support, drove my children to and from school, dropped off meals, and so much more.  As I began to heal, body, mind, and soul, I started to look at my life and all that I had to be thankful for.  I read a lot of inspirational literature, among them, ‘A New Earth’ by Eckhart Tolle.  I began to see that I was given this incredible opportunity to really ponder the universe and find my life purpose.  Soon, I started my kids in Tae Kwon Do and couldn’t resist the pull.  I joined an adult class and gained a renewed sense of purpose and energy.  Shortly after that, I joined a gym and began to rebuild and to write a new story for myself.   I had to take care of my soul.

      I became confident that I wanted to be of service to the world in some way.  Suddenly it all fell into place.  My talents in gymnastics and dance; experience in coaching, teaching, and mentoring; knowledge of nutrient ratios and caloric intake because my father is diabetic; interests in self-development and nutrition- all coupled with my newly realized interest in getting stronger and led me to my path to become a personal trainer. I studied the effects of movement and exercise on mood and health and after 8 months I became certified in Personal Training and, I love it!

      I have shared “My Story” because I want you to know from where my passion for what I do originates.  I am zealous about reducing your disease risk and helping you create health and joy in mind, body and soul.  I understand the different levels of fitness and how to work through them to reach your personal bests.  I say ‘bests’ on purpose.  Once you begin, you just keep getting better and better and better!  We are all unique.  We are all at different levels; I can help you whether you are a couch potato ready to get active again, an aspiring young athlete or a rehabilitation patient with grandchildren.

Let’s start a partnership today.  Let’s begin where you are.  My story has unfolded to make a difference for you.  Let’s re-write your story together.  When you are ready, I am here.  Nike says it best:  “Just Do It!”  My story is a living memory that nothing else matters if you are not around to enjoy it!

Be curious.   Observe life. Eat well. Move. Live long.  Love fiercely.  Laugh often.  Be Joy.  You are much more than you know.    You are Limitless!  You are Free!

Update:    My passion for life continues.  As of 2016, I am a certified Professional Life Coach thru iPEC (Institute for  Professional Excellence in Coaching).  Together we can remove the veils in your life that have been blocking you from experiencing your desired mind, body, and soul journeys!!!

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Mind:  .math .brain teasers .wheel of fortune .soduko .technology .design .DIY  .metaphysics

Body:  free weights .body weight exercises .swimming .pilates .yoga .biking .hiking .gymnastics .dance .playing with the kids

Soul: jewelry making .art .poetry .spirituality .color  .dance .acting

Life Coaching.  www.kimtzalepa.com, http://www.inspireintendcreate.com

Soul Communications. http://reclaimingyourintuition.blogspot.com/
Fitness. http://www.mind-body-soul-fitness.blogspot.com

Facebook:

Fitness Page.  Mind.Body.Soul Fitness

Coaching Page.  Infinite Potential . Life Coaching

Math Tutoring Page.  Kim’s Math Tutoring

Soul Communications.   http://reclaimingyourintuition.blogspot.com/

Fitness.  www.mind-body-soul-fitness.blogspot.com

Professional Life Coach.

Former Swim Instructor.Five Star Aquatics and Fitness.Eatontown NJ.
Former Group Fitness Instructor.Five Star Aquatics and Fitness.Eatontown NJ.