Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Kierstin Kloeckner
Being a personal trainer for twenty-nine years, I often joke about having several “poster children.” All of my clients are poster children because they are all on their own path, trying to feel better and improve their lives. There are some, however, I connect with more because they inspire me to push myself and improve my life. Roger Hanson, and his wife, Anna Biermeier, are two of those people.
Both in their 70s, with grown children, they’ve chosen to commute by foot or bicycle as much as possible. Both volunteer heavily in the community and continue to take various classes to continue learning. And both have a passion for the outdoors and beauty of the Midwest, something we chat about frequently.
Challenges Ahead
Several years ago, Roger was diagnosed with an underlying blood disorder called polycythemia, in which the gene that is supposed to regulate his blood cell production does not work. Because of this, he is required to take medications to suppress his blood cell production as well as thin his blood. This past June, he experienced a bleed in his lower intestines, forcing him to discontinue use of the blood thinners which, in turn, caused a clot that led to two strokes in July. When I heard the news, my heart sank. I always viewed both Roger and Anna as being invincible. They were, in essence, exactly how I wanted to be ten to twenty years from now. (Heck, I want to be them now!) While Roger’s first stroke wasn’t terribly severe, the second stroke was more so. Post strokes, Roger could still walk a bit, but the use of his left arm and hand were very limited. Thoughts of playing guitar, a passion of his, he said, seemed far away. While in the rehab hospital, both Roger and Anna decided they needed to set a goal. And the goal they set was one they had accomplished the past two years with ease—to hike the Ice Age Mammoth Challenge. In 2022, that meant a 42-mile hike on the Ice Age Trail during October. Roger told me at the time that it felt like a stretch, but was possible. “Having a goal,” he said, “that was a real possibility made me work very hard in physical therapy to learn to walk on my own again. I shared my goal with my physical therapist while I was in the rehab hospital. She understood it and helped me work on balance and strength. I shared my goal with Kierstin when I came home from the rehab hospital and she broke down components of walking so I could begin with basics: strengthening glutes, stretching leg muscles, working on balance. She built on what I started in physical therapy and kept going—improving.” Underway When October arrived, Roger and Anna began their 42-mile journey. Roger described his experiences to me, saying, “One of the low points was at the very beginning. I had a lot of post-stroke fatigue that made me very tired. There were a number of high points on the challenge. One of the high points was meeting other hikers who were all working on the challenge. One person we met was a hiker who was recovering from cancer and was trying to walk 500 miles this year on the trail. We also met several other hikers who were younger, but who were just out enjoying the trail and being outside. One of the other high points I had is that the more that I walked, the better that I felt. It truly seems to be the case that exercise is good for your brain. Yet another high point was walking woods and prairies this fall—the weather was good and the countryside was beautiful. Being outdoors was good; I felt better. The main thing that kept me going was Anna. Her optimism meant everything. She believed I could do things that I didn’t think I could do. One of the other things that kept me going was the support of family and friends and former colleagues from work—some who I had not seen in years, but their cards and messages of support meant so much.” For those who have lived very active lives, a serious setback can often be such a mental blow. I’m often as concerned about how to improve their outlook and mood as much as I am with the recovery of the body itself. Roger said, “One thing I held onto as I started my recovery was a scene from the movie The Martian, in which an astronaut is stranded on Mars all alone. When he returns to earth, he teaches future astronauts. In one scene as a teacher, he says that, at some point in your life, everything will go south—just everything. What you need to do at that point, he says, is to just solve the one problem that you can solve today. That is what I tried to do during my entire recovery process. And what I am still trying to do now.” Being able to celebrate the Ice Age Mammoth Challenge accomplishment with both Roger and Anna made my fall season. Things like this remind me to put things in perspective, and focus more on smaller and daily accomplishments. Each week, when I worked with Roger, he’d give me a rundown of the segments and miles they had done. I could see his internal strength, along with his physical strength, grow, and was happy I could play a small role in his recovery. The next time you meet someone taking on a challenge like this, give them a moment to ask what’s driving them to do so. You might just get a very inspirational story that affects you as well. Read more on the Ice Age Trail Mammoth Challenge at: https://www.iceagetrail.org/mammoth-hike-challenge/ And check out this video!
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