There is a very special visitor at the centre today. She has only two teeth left in her upper mouth, but she has a BIG smile! She is one of the best advertisers we have, and she often brings a new neighbour when she comes. She is 63 years old and she is not finished with life yet. Whenever the exercises are hard, she doesn't give up, she simply tries again. All her faithful efforts at the centre with us have paid off. She now feels a lot better in her back and she says she is healed! “Ti erdh’ me na sh’nosh – You came to heal us” she says. But the truth is that no-one takes the exercises more seriously than she does. She has taken ownership of her own health to improve it.
When our friend first came to our centre, she was leaning forward and looking weak and poorly. We had no idea then that she would grow so strong. She said to me: “You have earned so many sevaps (good points) for this work! I wish your children good health and all the best for your family!” Her health has improved, and she wanted to give back to us, so she gave all our workers presents. Even my husband received a pair of socks. She has gotten involved in everything at Hope and Health, she even attended a craft afternoon making local-version Norwegian toy trolls.
The Hope and Health project centre focuses on relieving degenerative back problems such as osteoporosis and spondylosis by strengthening the supportive muscle platforms. The ladies know that we have opened this centre “just for them” and all our services are free for them. They feel so blessed and they probably don’t know how blessed we feel too.
Another friend at the centre commented: "When I come here all my worries go away. I came even when I had my monthly bleeding and could not exercise, just to see you. It made me feel good. I believe God has really sent you here. The problems in my foot and back have gotten so much better. I could hardly move my hand before, now I can move, and I feel great. I have become so much better by coming here”.
According to the director of the pathology laboratory next door, more than 50% of the women in our municipality are in pain physically, but they are also in pain mentally and socially. "They need people who can listen to their stories," he says. "These women receive very little attention day-in and day-out."
Since opening Hope and Health, a centre for women only, in April 2017, we have had hundreds of women visiting. Many of these women return regularly for massage and back exercises. Many of these women have reported a marked improvement in their back pain and function since coming to the centre.
