(Editor’s Note: We’re pleased to share this press release from WE Fit Wellness, both because it involves our own Maureen Nietfeld and because the Center is an underwriter of WE Fit’s initiatives.
Colorado Springs, Colorado (September 1, 2015). Today, WE Fit Wellness announced the addition of Maureen Neitfeld to their team of expert advocates. Neitfeld stars on her own YouTube channel, Breaking Blind, which has nearly 10,000 subscribers and climbing. WE Fit Wellness is launching a multimedia initiative, which will include podcasts, community radio, WE Can Culture workshops, and the Breaking Blind YouTube channel.
In January of 2015, WE Fit Wellness launched its programs to bring exercise and nutrition options to underserved communities. These programs have been greeted with great enthusiasm, particularly by individuals with disabilities.
WE Fit Wellness Executive Director, Jessica Beecham said, “It has been absolutely wonderful to play in this space. We are building and connecting a community around total fitness education and the motivation to re-create one’s self. We have offered solutions, beta tested products, and conducted numerous workshops and seminars.” Jessica continued, “Maureen Neitfeld’s Breaking Blind YouTube channel will help us increase our reach.
She brings unparalleled expertise, passion, and an extraordinary story of perseverance and success.”
On Breaking Blind, soon to be rebranded, WE Fit Wellness Breaking Blind, Maureen confronts stereotypes about blindness, breaks through misconceptions, and motivates others with her approach to health and wellness. Maureen lives a full, rewarding life, teaching home management to blind and vision-impaired students at the Colorado Center for the Blind. She is a living example of the Center’s “take charge with confidence” approach to training. Maureen has undergone more than 30 surgeries as a result of Von Hippel-Lindau disease. Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) is a hereditary condition associated with hemangioblastomas, which are blood vessel tumors of the brain, spinal cord, and eye. The eye tumors are also called retinal angiomas. VHL took Maureen’s sight at the age of 16.
Maureen explained, “I persevere through willpower, love from family, a commitment to diet, exercise, yoga, and by maintaining a positive attitude. Joining the WE Fit Wellness team is an honor and a tremendous opportunity to encourage everyone to find their fit. The Breaking Blind YouTube channel will continue to personify the right of all people to live in the world on terms of equality. Or as the National Federation of the Blind exclaims, ‘to live the life you want.’ We will break barriers, inspire, and have a lot of fun doing it!” Maureen continued, “Breaking Blind on YouTube will also offer us the opportunity to feature inspiring stories of Paralympians working with the United States Association of Blind Athletes.”
For more information, contact Jessica Beecham by phone at (866) 543-6808 ext. 15 or by email at jessica@wefitwellness.com.