Fit University, a club focused on promoting health and wellness through exercise and peer support, hosted its first annual “Winning at Health” student symposium on Tuesday in Old Union Hall.
Five students from Fit University spoke about their personal struggles with obstacles like bipolar disorder, non-communicable diseases and depression. The speakers also gave insight into how they personally learned to overcome their battles by focusing on mental health, working out more and leading a healthier lifestyle.
Danielle Preiser, one of the speakers of the event and a junior majoring in psychology, spoke about her 6 1/2-year battle with an unknown illness that was causing her large intestine to die, requiring multiple surgeries.
Preiser said that after many doctors’ failed attempts to heal her, she became more focused on her overall wellness by exercising and becoming a gluten-free vegan. Although she still isn’t completely cured, Preiser said it’s important to stay positive throughout times of illness.
“In order to win the battle for life, every survivor must be strong and positive,” Preiser said. “There are no exceptions. People question how one can be so positive while fighting for life. The answer is simple: it’s choice. If you choose to live, you choose to fight and you choose to be positive.”
Veronika Polyakova, the co-president of Fit University and a junior majoring in human development, spoke about how she developed a healthier lifestyle to battle her polycystic ovary syndrome. The disease causes infertility, excess testosterone and hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of the thyroid hormone. Polyakova said that hearing from others is a powerful way to spread awareness.
“Something like this is important because hearing people’s stories in person is so much more real than reading about it online,” Polyakova said. “And my motto is you shouldn’t have to get sick to start taking care of yourself. So it’s important for people to hear it from us and to understand that this can happen to them.”
Lauryn Maleski, a freshman majoring in human development, spoke about her battle with bipolar disorder and her attempted suicides. She emphasized that sharing her story and advocating for the end of the stigmatization of bipolar disorder has helped her overcome her personal struggles.
“I promise you that putting your story out there, whether it’s related to health and wellness or not, is incredibly difficult,” Maleski said. “But because I’ve spoken about my struggles and because I’m an activist, my life and the lives of other people have drastically changed for the better.”
Olivia Choi, a freshman majoring in nursing, said that the speakers were very relatable and it was comforting to hear how everyone has their own battles to face.
“It was very helpful to see that other people are going through problems,” Choi said. “We all are and it’s nice to know we’re not alone. It’s important because it shows that everyone has a connection and that you’re not alone.”
Preiser said that her goal in speaking at this event was to help any person who may be struggling by sharing her own story.
“I think it’s important because first and foremost I haven’t been open about it and being open about it has been healing in itself,” Preiser said. “If I can touch one person, then that’s all I want.”