By Kaitlyn Johnson
Editor’s note: This year, Cabrillo College’s Office of Student Equity launched Cabrillo Talks, modeled after the well-known Ted Talks, to inspire others through the power of storytelling.
The inaugural theme was “Empathy, Courage & Resilience,” and student participants got coaching to speak in public and a $500 scholarship. Aptos Times asked student speaker Kaitlyn Johnson to share her story in print.
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Often we let our difficulties prevent us from reaching our dreams. We lose a part of ourselves because we allow doubt to win. Around one year ago, I was in this exact spot. I almost let my dreams die simply by letting my mindset slip.
I am a martial artist, and I have been for about five years now. In January 2023, I was at the peak of my martial arts career. I had traveled to Chicago and was getting ready to compete in the American Karate Association’s national tournament.
Training had taken place over three months where I worked both inside and outside of the studio on my forms to try to perfect my technique.
Kaitlyn Johnson at the championships.
The hard work paid off big time as I advanced to be able to compete to be the grand champion. Standing on the stage, I received my first score of 9.99 from all three judges. I won the grand championship. I felt on top of the world. This was my big break into the competition world, and if I kept working hard I could continue to excel as a competitor.
This excitement did not last long as my hopes were crushed not even five months later when I was diagnosed with a genetic connective tissue disorder, Ehler-Danlos Syndrome.
Ehler-Danlos Syndrome causes the connective tissue in my body to be defective. In return this causes problems across multiple systems of my body. For my whole life I have dealt with joint problems, neurological issues, digestive troubles and more. My doctor told me that I needed to stop martial arts, due to the risks being too high.
While shocking, I had heard this story before. Before I was a martial artist, I was a ballerina. I would do shows twice a year, practice en pointe, and go to summer intensives. But because of my, then-undiagnosed, Ehler-Danlos Syndrome, I was told by doctors that I should not continue ballet.
Kaitlyn Johnson’s art
At the time it was difficult to hear, but I was ready to let ballet go.
For martial arts it was different. I fell in love with martial arts because I found that being a martial artist is how I want to live my life. I was not ready to let it go. Over the summer of 2023, I continued to battle health difficulties due to my disorder, so I went on an official break from training.
As I rested from my injuries I looked inward to find out what I wanted to do. Should I quit forever, or should I keep my dream of reaching black belt?
It was here at my darkest times that I remembered one of the many philosophies that martial arts teaches, perseverance. My coaches, the studio, and the martial arts community all preach about the practice of perseverance. Many people mistakenly think that perseverance is about being 100% perfect about working to reach your goals, but it’s not.
Kaitlyn Johnson’s art
Perseverance is about keeping your goals at the front of your mind so you don’t forget where you are going. A simple practice of perseverance is putting up a goal poster in your room, or starting a small manageable habit that allows you to get closer to your goals.
For me, this was sticking to my physical therapy routine for once. This good practice then led me to create a gym routine. Now a year later, I can proudly say I am beginning to train again due to the strength I have spent time building up.
How did I get through this past year? I let my perseverance guide me. You do not have to let your dreams die, you just have to start somewhere and let your perseverance take the rest.
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Kaitlyn Johnson is a student at Cabrillo College with a passion for photography and martial arts.
See her work at www.mojoyogistudios.com