Thanks to DDPY, or DDP Yoga, Dianne Kusztos Wilson is a new person.
And her daughter Amanda took notice.
In fact, she noticed it more than her mom.
“I didn’t realize I was a completely new person,” Kusztos Wilson said. “I am. I can do things I couldn’t do. I was weak. I wanted to be a champion. Now I am a two-time champion!”
Mom is proud. So is her daughter.
So after her mom’s transformation, Amanda penned a letter to Diamond Dallas Page to thank him for giving her mom her life back.
Kusztos Wilson shared the letter with us to show what DDPY can do for someone. It’s posted below.
DDP,
Thank you for all you’ve done to inspire, encourage, and fuel the recent and dramatic change in my 71-year-young mother, Dianne Kusztos-Wilson. I don’t know if I can find the words to truly articulate the change I witnessed in my mom when she visited us last week (for the first time since Thanksgiving, due to Covid restrictions), but I’m going to try.
She is vibrant, enthusiastic, full of energy, and beaming with pride and joy. I owe this positive shift in her mood, energy, and activity solely to you and the program/community you’ve created. For years I’ve tried to encourage my mom to take a yoga class, of any kind. While she’s always looked fabulous and trim, I knew she needed more balance (she’s had a few tumbles down the stairs!), flexibility, strength, and all the other benefits that regular exercise brings to both our mind, body, and spirit!
As a participant-turned-instructor (pre-COVID) of a combo tai chi/yoga/Pilates format group fitness class, I would bring mom to my classes when she came to visit. She recognized the benefits (and was encouraged by seeing other seniors around her excel), but didn’t have the courage to step into a class in her hometown, despite knowing how much she needed it. That being said, there is something very special about your program that sparked her, gave her hope, and made her feel able — regardless of her ability level, to just try, start small, and be consistent so that she could build off her baby steps. The transformation of her spirit has been unlike anything I’ve witnessed in almost 40-years being her only child.
Having an active-duty military husband means we’ve been stationed quite far from my parents for the past 20 years. It can be especially hard, from a distance, to give back to our parents the attention or encouragement they may need to live a healthy, active lifestyle, and to help foster those qualities/activities that can help them live fuller, more independent lives which can stem from simply being in good health, by staying active. Yet, YOU did it! You lit a fire under my mom that is burning so bright. I was blown away by her stamina and strength when challenging my 17-year-old son to compete against her!
As an added bonus, my mom is making friends in your community, which is something I’ve also prayed for. I worried for a long time (even pre-COVID) that she was too cooped up at home (my dad enjoys his work and has yet to retire) and not meeting new people or getting the social interaction that we all need to boost our spirit and well-being.
Bottom line, you’ve given her a reason to get up each day and SEIZE it with gusto! She’s connecting with others and helping others, which further encourages her more. I must say, I have many friends my age (or younger) who have already lost a parent (including my father-in-law nearly 18 years ago) tragically too-young, and many (if not all) of them might still be with us today if they had been in better health. I know it can start with something as simple as DDP chair or bed yoga, to regain control of their mobility and health, but yet exercise of any kind is often such an obstacle for most to mentally start! I am so grateful to you for sharing your gift with the world.
With deep gratitude and hope,
Amanda