NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Feeling something was very wrong with her health, a woman was faced with shocking news. She’s been on quite the journey since then. She’s using all of it to help others.
“Oh, I walk every day, and I tell people to go for at least 10,000 steps a day,” said Angel Faulk. “It helps you process your thoughts. It’s therapy.”
Faulk has been a fitness instructor for nearly 30 years.
“I do believe you get stronger when you share your story,” she added.
Twenty years ago, Faulk knew she was losing hearing in one ear.
“It was very frightening,” she nodded. “I woke up in the middle of the night to this crunching sound. It felt like paper being wadded up. The tumor had crushed the auditory nerve completely, and the tumor was wrapped around my brain stem. Who thinks they’re going to get a brain tumor? I was completely deaf in the right ear. When we got the MRI, they said this tumor may have been growing for ten years. No clue. Yeah.”
“I had a fourteen hour-brain surgery,” Faulk continued. “I was paralyzed. They said it may be a year-and-a-half before I could be back to teaching fitness again, but thank God, I was in the gym in six weeks. My right side was paralyzed really badly. It’s still not back, but it’s better.”
What Faulk survived has given deeper purpose to her fitness teaching.
At Cane Ridge Park Saturday morning, a group of people gathered around Faulk for a series of warm-ups.
“Good! Let’s make big circles!” she shouted to the group as they made circles with their arms. “Ah, you’re strong.”
Faulk does classes, events, and speaking engagements through her non-profit, The Fitness Angel TV. She’s also promoting health and wellness through her The Fitness Angel TV show on Christian Television Network. She advocates for people to be mindful of their health, and if they find themselves facing something overwhelming, find support through community.
“I would say you’re not alone,” Faulk said. “There are people who care.”
“Thank you, Lord, for creating us all to be here and to live during this time,” Faulk said as the group gathered in a prayer circle. “Whatever we’re going through today, we know you have a plan for all of us.”
The group set off on the morning walk, Faulk leading the way.
“I really believe we’re called to have a joyful, healthy, happy, active life,” she said. “Everyone has their own personal mission.”
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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