30/03/2026
“My goal is to do better tomorrow than I did today.”
Amy Hayenhjelm, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), continually seeks to maintain and improve her quality of life. The disease has gradually limited her mobility; she went from running, biking and camping to struggling with strength, balance and walking speed.
Amy noticed her mobility was suffering about six months ago and she wanted to explore options that could help. That’s when she turned to Senior Physical Therapist Assistant Maureen Pfeiffer at the outpatient center of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation – West Orange.
Prior to her diagnosis, Amy and her husband went camping regularly. They took a three-week honeymoon, biking in the San Juan Islands in Washington state and Denali National Park in Alaska. Once she was diagnosed with MS, she and her family incorporated cabins and hotels into their traveling routine since camping was becoming difficult.
“Everything is possible, it just needs more planning,” Amy said. “I have a strategy for everything!”
Lately, Amy became frustrated with her mobility, energy levels and balance. She had trouble climbing stairs and was walking slowly. The disease was also causing issues with cooking, and having company to her house became a challenge.
When she first arrived at Kessler, Amy couldn’t lift her legs very high when walking. For one exercise, Maureen had Amy walk over cones or blocks. One day, the blocks were higher than usual from a previous patient and Amy gave it a try and had no trouble clearing them.
With the stim machine, various core exercises and a home workout plan, Amy has improved her balance, walking speed, strength and energy. “It’s the little things that make me happy, like pushing a shopping cart around the store,” Amy said.
Throughout the six-month, physical therapy journey, Maureen created exercises that pushed Amy while also cautioning her to not overdo it. “She is knowledgeable, helpful and listens to me,” Amy said about Maureen.
“It’s much easier for me to move around with my cane,” Amy added. “When people ask me why I work so hard, I tell them the more I do, the more I can plan to keep doing as much as physically possible.”
