Making gains against MS: 'Working out keeps me alive.'

VENICE — A former waitress, Karen LaFrance was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996. She endures muscle weakness. She does not experience pain.

Balance is her issue.

For the past couple of years, she’s relied on a walker — and occasionally a cane — to get around.

“I wasn’t defeated,” she said of adjusting to using the walker. “I never feel defeated.”

You may have missed an opportunity to vote online for LaFrance as she participated in the 20th annual Member of the Year competition sponsored by SilverSneakers, a fitness benefit available to adults ages 65 and older and those who are disabled through many Medicare Advantage plans.

It was founded in 1992 and is available to more than 18 million Americans through select Medicare health plans. SilverSneakers provides access to more than 20,000 fitness and exercise facilities.

LaFrance was nominated for the SilverSneakers award by Devyn Cornette, general manager of Workout Anytime in Venice.

The email Cornette sent on LaFrance’s behalf said, in part: “The great thing about Karen is she has a lot of energy but knew she needed help in keeping her body as healthy and strong as it could be. For the last several months, Karen has been working with a personal trainer and has made tremendous strides in her upper body and lower body strength.

“So much so that Karen can be seen climbing the StairMaster with the assistance of her trainer. With all the strength that Karen has established, she has also gained better balance and stability, which helps her move about the gym and in her normal life more efficiently.”

LaFrance’s example motivates other Workout Anytime members. Nokomis resident Tom Schriewer greeted LaFrance on a recent afternoon at the fitness club and calls her “an awesome inspiration.

“I have leukemia myself and she has that thing she deals with, and she’s in here every day,” said Schriewer, who moved here from St. Louis. “She’s always got a smile on her face.”

Voting ended in late June. LaFrance is one of 10 finalists who work out in various gyms aligned with SilverSneakers in eight states who are competing for the national award. The winner will be announced Monday, July 22.

At 60, LaFrance is the youngest finalist. Others range from a 66-year-old man from Texas who was disabled by a stroke to a 101-year-old woman from Minnesota who believes age is just a number.

Despite her challenges, LaFrance is determined to keep her body as healthy and as strong as possible, as she exercises two hours a day, seven days a week, at Workout Anytime.

LaFrance says after her MS diagnosis, she has gone to a gym when they’ve been available. She has been exercising at Workout Anytime for two years and been participating in SilverSneakers for the past decade.

She enjoys working out with staff and members at Workout Anytime because, she says, they are familiar with her and are not afraid to work with someone with her physical limitations.

“They actually help me out quite a bit,” LaFrance said.

For the past few months, she has worked with personal trainer/coach Kami Astorino, improving her upper and lower body strength.

When you walk into the club, you might see her mastering the StairMaster near the front entrance with the assistance of Astorino.

She also uses a treadmill and does sit ups and toe raises, marches in place, works with Astorino on resistance training and uses machines to lift weights. Usually, the lightest weights are more to her liking.

She finishes with an elliptical machine.

“I’m just amazed at how many places I go,” she said, smiling.

She uses each machine “for a little while” (five to 10 minutes, usually).

“Karen is very dedicated,” Astorino said. “Karen really relies on having that freedom and being able to get out of the home and having a space where she can feel safe.”

Her improved strength has enhanced her balance and stability, allowing her to move more efficiently in the gym and in her daily life, according to a profile of her on the SilverSneakers website.

LaFrance’s mantra is “Working out keeps me alive.”

LaFrance had fewer MS symptoms when she moved to Venice 14 years ago.

“I could walk normal, and I could run and do everything,” she said. “I even bought a car.”

She began having medical setbacks during the shutdown related to the coronavirus pandemic, when she lost access to the gym and community pool she was using.

There was no place to work out, so she walked daily around her Bay Indies neighborhood. But the change in routine triggered her MS, she believes, and she started having falls. That was when she began using a walker.

“It was really a misfortune,” she said. “I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t frustrated. I just dealt with it daily, you know.”

“Karen deals with whatever she’s faced with,” her mother, Nancy LaFrance, said. “She doesn’t cry or fuss. She just deals with it.”

A former artist, LaFrance says she no longer can paint and create sculptures because of MS. But as she wakes up each morning, she doesn’t dwell on the diagnosis.

“I just get up and go,” she said.