Incurable Disease Patient Who Weighed 40kg Transforms Into Pilates Athlete in Her 50s

"I never want to go back to those terrible days when I would work for a day and be bedridden for three. I finally feel like the complete master of my own life."

About 20 years ago, a Korean woman who crossed the Pacific Ocean with the American Dream spent difficult times enduring a long illness and discrimination in American society.

Standing 160 cm tall and weighing down to 40 kg, making even daily life difficult, she transformed with her husband's support into an athlete preparing to compete in a Pilates contest in her 50s.

The story of Kelly Im, a 54-year-old Korean-American living in Corona, Riverside County, California, is touching the overseas Korean community.

Visiting South Korea to participate in the 2nd K-Pilates Contest Hosted by the President of the University of Seoul scheduled for September 19, Im said in a phone interview with the press today (August 13), "It feels like a dream to stand on my homeland's stage as a Pilates athlete, overcoming the walls of illness and discrimination."

Im settled in the United States in 1999 with her husband, a U.S. citizen, and worked in commercial advertising makeup.

However, her daily life changed drastically as health issues struck around the time of her first pregnancy.

Recalling that time, Im said, "As fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis struck at the same time, I suffered from the pain of my whole body being stabbed by needles 24 hours a day."

Complicated by migraines and Meniere's disease, she also experienced problems with her vision and hearing.

In particular, Meniere's disease, which causes severe dizziness, could not even be properly diagnosed due to a lack of proper testing equipment in her residential area at the time, leading her to visit South Korea in 2014 to receive an accurate diagnosis.

To make matters worse, undergoing two knee surgeries for plica syndrome cut the muscles in one of her lower limbs in half, making it difficult even to walk.

Symptoms such as cracking skin and blackened lips also appeared.

What Im chose as a new breakthrough was exercise.


In the fall of 2022, she knocked on the door of a nearby Pilates studio, but the process was not smooth.

In a white-dominated local community where Asians account for only 0.02%, the gazes directed at a middle-aged Asian woman were cold.

With basic English that was still awkward for her, the studio instructor reportedly showed overt turfism and a racist attitude.

Im recalled, "During classes, the instructor would openly embarrass me in front of other students or completely ignore me even when I greeted them, but a stubborn spirit emerged within me thinking, 'I cannot give up here if I want to live.'"

Despite the disdain and cold treatment, she consistently visited the studio and even took on the challenge of yoga.

Consistent exercise led to changes in her body.

Muscles began to form on her body, which had shrunk to 40 kg, and the systemic pain that had plagued her for decades gradually subsided.

Im is now challenging herself with a new title of "athlete" beyond mere rehabilitation.

Having visited South Korea last year for the first time in 10 years and competed in a Pilates contest, she is also challenging herself at the K-Pilates Contest in September.

Her physical condition is not fully recovered.

She recently suffered severe pain due to a torn shoulder muscle during training.

Health issues still remain, as her hip condition is also poor and may require future surgery.

However, unlike the days when she was confined to a sickbed in the past, her attitude toward life has changed significantly.

In an environment where she can focus on exercise thanks to her husband's consideration, she moves toward new goals every day.

"Fighting illness and prejudice in a foreign land was a lonely and rugged path. After enduring without giving up until the end, my body, mind, and perspective on the world have changed positively. Right now, I am happy to be able to sweat and take on challenges day by day."

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Im, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.