“Imagine waking up one morning and no longer being able to see? At first, you think your vision is blurred because you’ve been very tired lately. So you roll over and go back to sleep,” says Ciara.
“When you wake, you stumble to the bathroom and attempt to focus on the mirror to see if there is anything obvious that is obscuring your eyes but you can’t see your reflection, you can’t see anything at all..
“This is exactly what happened to Jyn-San Tsang 12 years ago. Inter-railing in Europe and stopping off in Portugal, Jyn found her way to the local hospital where her condition confounded the doctors. A dream holiday cut short, she returned to the UK where the doctors were equally baffled, that is until the arrival of a consultant who had recently returned from Japan where he had serendipitously been attending a seminar on the exact same ‘rare’ condition that had caused Jyn’s sight to fail.
“Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (VHK Syndrome) is an autoimmune disease which thankfully if diagnosed quickly can be cured. In Jyn’s case it took over a year; throughout that year there was no guarantee that she would fully recover. Many would fall apart when confronted with such a prognosis but Jyn explains it was clearly a case of sink or swim, and she’s certainly one of life’s survivors.
“Happily her sight returned completely and she didn’t look back until she became pregnant with her son, Woody. She was warned at the very early stages that her pregnancy could result in a recurrence of the VHK syndrome. Steeling herself for whatever lay ahead she defied all the experts and went on to be one of the first people to lay eyes on her newborn son.
“Since then, she has thrown herself into life with a vigour and energy that would leave most of us breathless even if watching from the comfort of the sidelines. This renaissance woman is a testament to the gift of strength of character, being handed a new chance at life and an opportunity to start all over again.
“I’ve known Jyn as a hair and make-up artist who works on regular photo shoots, but that is just the day job. At night, and over a number of years she has been investing blood, sweat and tears into the completion of a diploma in personal training and fitness instruction, a course which has seen her study anatomy, physiology and nutrition as well as first aid and a GP referral and a postnatal course to boot. She has just started a new business Jyn Fusion which offers personal training and classes that range from kettle bells and circuits through to core flexibility.
“Interesting that Jyn’s career choices have always been those which make people feel better about themselves. Physical well-being is such a precious gift she explains, and she is only too happy to help people discover that for themselves, with a little coaxing from her of course. I’m certain that there are few as well qualified in what it takes to inspire people to get up and take control of their health as this hard working and determined woman.
“When I asked her where she gets her drive and energy to take on so much all at once, she jokingly shrugged and replied by drawing a Nike-style tick in the air saying, ‘my motto is ‘Just Do It’’ – good words to live your life by and clearly ones that she has heeded all these years.
“Jyn gets married on 11th June. Congratulations Jyn and Majik, here’s to many happy and healthy years ahead.”
For more details about Jyn’s personal training services and fitness classes visit her website or Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/jynfusion/
http://jynfusion.uk/
