35 msfocusmagazine.org Life With MS When we saw our paradise was going to be paved to put up a parking lot, we knew we had to do something. In January 2016, the wellness center my husband and I belonged to sent an email to all members that it would be closing on May 1. For relatively healthy members, this was a disappointment, but not hard to replace with another nearby club. But, this was devastating for those of us who depended on the facilities and programs to simply maintain our ability to move. Palos Hospital owned the Palos Health and Fitness Center (PHFC) and built it on one corner of a medical complex they owned in Orland Park, Ill. But, when they wanted to expand that medical complex, they made the decision that a huge, two-story parking garage was more important than the 14-year-old fitness center. Unlike any other health facility in the area, PHFC catered not just to health enthusiasts, but also to people who require specific, and sometimes gentler, types of exercise offerings. The facility had a 25-yard lap pool that was also used forwater exercise, as well as a warm water therapy pool. Warm water therapy benefits a huge number of people, including those with any kind of joint pain, persons who have had joint injuries, as well as older individuals who have a hard time in colder water. And this was the only warm water therapy pool in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Although there are facilities in the area that offer arthritis and senior programs, their pools only meet the minimum recommended temperature for those classes and therefore are still too cold for many. Besides the usual aqua aerobics that are offered at every health club with a pool, PHFC Saving Our Wellness Center By Mary Ellen Smolinski