She won’t stop

Joyce Kelly has no feeling in her lower legs or feet. It’s one of the effects of having CMT(Charcot-Marie-Tooth), a degenerative neurological disorder that breaks down nerves in the extremities. Walking on grass or other uneven surfaces can be tricky for her. But that hasn’t stopped the Casa Lindaarea resident from being a triathlete.

Kelly had been running since college. After she was diagnosed with CMT in 2010, she didn’t quit. Instead, she got a coach, Morgan Johnson with Playtri, the triathlon trainingfacilityandstoreatMockingbird and Abrams. Wanting to learn more about CMT to improve Kelly’s training, Johnson contacted Dr. Robert Chetlin, a leading CMT researcher and exercise physiologist. With his help, Johnson devised a training strategy.

“We startedworkingonmusclesthat weren’t affected yet,” Kelly says.

Soon her balance improved, and her competitive times were better. “If not for Morgan, I wouldn’t be competing, and I would probably be in leg braces,” she says.

Not content to simply manage her disease,Kellywantedtodomoretoraise awareness — and funds. “I’m big on paying it forward,” she says. That’s where her career came in handy.

A Realtor for Nathan Grace Real Estate in Lake Highlands, Kelly is active in the MetroTex Association of Realtors and is on its Realtors in Action committee. She put to work her energy and enthusiasm, both of which she has in abundance, and convinced MetroTex to host a race that benefits CMT research.

It wasn’t an easy sell. “I was told, ‘We’ve never done anything that big,’ “ she says.

“I think my enthusiasm and the fact that I have this disease [swayed the committee] ... It was like, ‘Can you pull this off, Missy?’ and I’m like, ‘Watch me, Baby!’ “

The DFW Get Fit! Race, which is scheduled for May 3 in Irving, will be sponsored by“realestate-centric”businesses.“Our goal is for it to become known as the ‘Realtor Race,’ “ she says. Kelly wants the event to promote the real estate industry as well as raise awareness about CMT. “CMT is just now starting to come into its own with awareness,” she says.

“Since this is our inaugural race, we’re expecting about 1,000 people,” Kelly says. There will be a chip-timed 5K, a chip-timed 10K and a family fun run. There will also be fitness-themed activities for both children and adults. Playtri is race-directing, and everyone who signs up for the 5K will receive a six-week “Get Fit” plan from Playtri.

The race benefits the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation. Kelly says the bulk of the proceeds will go straight to research, with which Dr. Chetlin is involved. “The cure for [CMT] is going to be so cutting-edge, and we’re within a couple of years,” she says. “It’s going to help people with Lou Gehrig’s, it’s going to help people with Multiple Sclerosis; there are scientists all over the world waiting for this.”

And of course Kelly is more than willing to help once the FDA gives them the go-ahead. “I’m one of the lab rats,” she says.

Kelly hasn’t been able to train as much as she’d like to this winter because of seasonal viruses, to which people with CMT are susceptible. But she hasn’t let that get her down. “I think attitude is a decision,” she says. “Just decide you’re going to be happy, and be happy.”

—Larra Keel

REGISTRATION FOR THE DFW GET FIT! Race opens this month. To learn more, visit dfwrealestate.com/DFWGetFit

Time out

The White Rock Dog Park closes this month for much-needed renovations

By the time the dog days of summer roll around, the dog park at White Rock Lake will be temporarily closed for some much-needed construction.

The city council recently approved the $946,000 contract to begin construction, using funding from the 2006 bond program. The park will close in March, and it won’t open again until December, according to project manager Richard Stauffer.

Stauffer says the city reviewed phasing the work between the large dog and small dog park areas; however the ma- jority of the work items — such as grading, concrete work, irrigation, fencing, etc. — are best performed at the same time, rather than phasing them between two separate areas.

“As with all projects, public safety is the highest priority,” Stauffer says. “Allowing areas within the dog park to remain open in close proximity to construction activity poses a hazard.”

The construction will reduce the mud and mess with artificial turf, sidewalks and a “dog launch,” which features an observation area and stairs that slope down toward the water.

The constriction will include grading and drainage, including a new irrigation system, and it will even clean up the erosion problems near the park.

It will expand the park, increasing the large dog park from one-and-a-half acres to two acres, and the small dog park from half-an-acre to one acre.

Construction will also include drinking fountains, pet waste stations with trash cans, ornamental fences, new trees and lighting in the parks and parking lot.

—Brittany Nunn

Ghostly growler

Bentzen’s unusual blue-white eyes really “freak some dogs out,” say his humans, neighbors Debbie and Bob Ruotolo. “And they look ghost-like at night when seen through our wrought iron front gate.” The Ruotolos adopted Bentzen in 2009 from a rescue group. He lives for his daily walks, and is a goodwill ambassador to all his furry neighborhood friends. He loves his neighbors, dogs and cats alike.