- Sophie Holmes became very ill when she was just 19 – her lung capacity dropped to just 60% and she spent three weeks in hospital
- While in hospital she decided she needed to start putting her health first
- She trained to become a personal trainer and is now running a personal training business with her older sister, Anna
By
Emma Innes
07:32 EST, 29 January 2014
|
11:37 EST, 29 January 2014
A cystic fibrosis sufferer has beaten the odds to become a personal trainer.
Sophie Holmes, 22, has overcome the debilitating illness to realise her dream of working in fitness.
She believes pushing herself physically has helped her manage her cystic fibrosis.
Sophie Holmes (right) overcame cystic fibrosis to set up a personal training business with sister, Anna (left)
The condition can cause major lung damage and digestive problems, with the average life expectancy for sufferers being just 40 years.
Ms Holmes’ current fitness is a huge turn around as just three years ago she spent three weeks in hospital critically ill after her lung capacity dropped to 60 per cent.
Against the odds she pulled through, but her near death experience made her realise she needed to take her health more seriously.
‘Lying in a hospital bed with an intravenous line in my arm feeding me antibiotics, I made a vow to myself to make my health a priority,’ she said.
‘Seeing my health deteriorate so quickly was frightening to me. I knew I had to do something to make sure I was never ill like this again.’
In the days and weeks that followed she researched ways to combine her health with her job, and decided to become a personal trainer.
Ms Holmes made the decision to become a personal trainer when she was in hospital seriously ill. She says her illness, which was caused by cystic fibrosis, made her realise she needed to start putting her health first
Ms Holmes said: ‘Lying in a hospital bed with an intravenous line in my arm feeding me antibiotics, I made a vow to myself to make my health a priority’
She said: ‘I thought that being a personal trainer would be a great way to make my health my life.
‘It would be my job to look after my health, so I wouldn’t have any excuses to not take care of myself.’
WHAT IS CYSTIC FIBROSIS?
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition which causes the lungs and the digestive system to become clogged with mucus.
Symptoms usually appear in early childhood and they include a persistent cough, recurring chest infections and failure to thrive.
As the condition develops, a lung transplant may be required.
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis so treatment revolves around relieving symptoms and reducing long-term damage caused by infections.
The most common treatments are physiotherapy to clear the mucus from the lungs, and antibiotics to treat the infections.
The condition is caused by a genetic mutation which allows too much salt and water into cells – this results in a build-up of mucus.
For a child to inherit the condition, both of their parents have to be carriers of the mutated gene.
In this situation, there is a one in four chance the child will not inherit either of the faulty genes, a one in two chance they will inherit one of them and be a carrier but not a sufferer, and a one in four chance they will inherit both genes and suffer from the condition.
About one in every 2,500 babies born in the UK are born with cystic fibrosis.
As treatments have improved, the outlook for these children has improved dramatically.
Life expectancy remains in the 40s.
Source: NHS Choices
Ms Holmes turned to her elder sister, Anna Holmes, 24, for support with her dream.
Amazingly, Anna quit her job at a children’s nursery to help her sister reach her goal.
‘She was my best friend and I knew I’d find it hard with my illness,’ says Ms Holmes. ‘I thought having Anna’s support would spur me on. I knew there was no turning back when she said let’s do it together.’
Together the sisters trained to become personal trainers with Premier Training International, and now they run their own business, Southend-on-Sea based Holmes Sisters Personal Training – and are making thousands a year.
Growing up, Ms Holmes would always take part in sports and enjoyed tennis, hockey and netball at school, alongside managing her illness with daily physiotherapy and medication.
But in 2011, when she was just 19, she became critically ill after her lungs filled with mucus.
‘It came out of the blue and was absolutely terrifying,’ says Ms Holmes. ‘Before being admitted, I’d been active as usual, riding my horse Otis and going to the gym.
‘But I was having difficulty breathing and went to the GP, and then discovered the CF, which until then I’d always held at bay, had taken a huge turn for the worse.’
She was rushed to hospital and spent three week hooked up to a heart monitor, being drip fed antibiotics to clear her lungs.
While in hospital, she lost a stone in weight, dropping to just eight stone.
While lying in bed at the Royal
Brompton Hospital she made a vow to do everything she could to improve
her health, and live a long and fulfilling life.
She
said: ‘Being in hospital was horrible. I felt so weak and I was
terrified cystic fibrosis was going to get the better of me.
‘I knew I never wanted to feel like this again, so I stopped moping in self-pity and did something about it.
Ms Holmes (left) believes her physical fitness has helped her to avoid becoming unwell again. She hopes it will help her to live a long and fulfilling life despite her illness
‘Cardiovascular exercise can help CF sufferers, and I wanted to make it a fundamental part of my life to give myself the best shot.’
Now, after qualifying in May 2013 as a personal trainer, she has set up her own business with her sister and the pair help others reach their fitness goals every day.
She says: ‘I’m determined to not let
cystic fibrosis stop me from pursuing my dreams. With the help and
support of my sister, I really feel as though I’ve been able to achieve
my goals and hope I can others achieve theirs.
Ms Holmes said: ‘You can do anything when you put your mind to it. Although my illness is serious, I don’t believe it has to define me as a person, and now look how far I have come’
‘I couldn’t have done it without Anna, she supported me the whole way and helped me train when I was feeling low. She’s the best sister I could have asked for.’
‘You can do anything when you put your mind to it. Although my illness is serious, I don’t believe it has to define me as a person, and now look how far I have come.
‘People who suffer from cystic fibrosis shouldn’t let it hold them back. Now I want to inspire others to reach their potential and beyond.’
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
Loveunderlaw,
Central New York,
1 day ago
WOW! What an inspiring success story, well done
lesley,
london,
1 day ago
Fantastic story. My sister is a CF sufferer and at 35 years old is a nurse! Never let this illness beat you x
Crazy Cat Lady,
Gloucestershire,
1 day ago
Happy story, well done girl! You are an inspiration.
My aunt died very young of this horrible disease but her life was most likely prolonged by exercise, she was a track runner. Nobody thought she could do it but she won a lot of medals.
Anna Holmes,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
1 day ago
So proud of you my little Sophie, superstar! Anyone who is interested in knowing more please visit HolmesSistersPT on Facebook
lou35uk,
staffs,
1 day ago
My niece has CF and it gets her down . I’m going to share this story with her ! Inspiring!
Dolly,
Armagh,
1 day ago
Go for it girl!! Xxx
Hana Watson,
Southend on Sea, United Kingdom,
1 day ago
Sophie, you are and inspiration to many.
Admiration is also the right word.
jt,
London, United Kingdom,
1 day ago
Good for her. She could teach some of these scam artists claiming personal independence a thing or two.
B.,
Loughborough,
1 day ago
What a beautiful person, inside and out! I wish you the best of health and happiness!
Emily Yeah,
London, United Kingdom,
1 day ago
Sophie, you are an inspiration! My child has CF and when I read this story he wanted you to train him and make him better too!
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