The Healing Power of Pilates
My Pilates journey started in 2000 when I studied Pilates as part of my dance major at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It wasn’t long after that I knew that it was exactly what I had been searching for! I was fortunate to study under Dolly Kelepecz. Dolly had trained under Eve Gentry. I felt so lucky that she took me under her wing and gave me so many opportunities to grow as an instructor including the opportunity to travel to Tokyo, Japan to oversee the operations of Dolly's newest studio location. It was through this experience and exposure to the Pilates world, I gained the confidence to open my own studio.
In 2005 I moved back home to Kansas City and opened my studio Pilates by Kahley, a 1,400 square foot studio. I was the only instructor at that time teaching both mat and full equipment classes. I’m proud to say that at the age of 25, I was realising my dream.
Introducing Pilates to thousands has been the most incredible journey of my life. Over the years, I’ve helped many instructors become certified and moved my studio three times to accommodate our growth. With a loving husband, two beautiful boys, and two dogs my life was full.
In August 2019 I was thirty-nine, living my best life and thought I was incredibly healthy. I was wrong. I began experiencing fatigue and nausea. I pushed through as these symptoms would go away at some point each day. After three weeks the fatigue increased so much that I could barely get through a Pilates workout. I went to the walk-in clinic at my doctor’s office. The doctor wasn’t concerned about my symptoms, and I left with a prescription for nausea. I returned four days later extremely fatigued, nauseous, and with yellow eyes. I demanded they do blood work. They called me the following day with the results and told me to immediately go to the emergency room! I was sent
in an ambulance to the University of Kansas Health System and immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). My liver doctor and his team were there waiting for my arrival. They did a full work up, including evaluating my liver’s function.
Diagnosis
After imaging scans, a liver biopsy and extensive lab work my doctor told me 40-50% of my liver had been damaged by autoimmune hepatitis.
Autoimmune hepatitis is liver inflammation that occurs when your body's immune system turns against liver cells. The exact cause of autoimmune hepatitis is unclear, but genetic and environmental factors appear to interact over time in triggering the disease. I was in Acute Liver Failure-end stage and would ONLY survive with a deceased donor transplant. Without a transplant, I would likely survive no longer than 90 days.
In the Waiting Line
While still in the hospital I met with the liver transplant multidisciplinary team for my transplant evaluation. This consisted of talking with surgeons, nurses, haematologists, dietitians, financial advisors, therapists, social workers, and other team members. I also had to complete medical testing with cardiology, my dentist, and gynecologist to determine if I was an appropriate candidate to receive a liver transplant. The results from all of these tests and my MELD score (a score that measures your degree of illness to determine how urgently you will get a replacement) were presented to the transplant selection committee and I was approved to be on the national transplant waitlist. In fact, I was placed at the top of the list at the University of Kansas Health System.
Thankfully my numbers were stable enough to be discharged from the hospital as I waited in the hopes of receiving an organ offer. During this time my health deteriorated quickly. I went from teaching 25 Pilates classes a week, running a studio, and taking care of my boys, to barely being able to get out of bed. The high dosage of prednisone and liver disease caused me to gain 30 pounds from fluid build-up. My muscles began to atrophy, and it took all of my energy just to take a shower. I was also working on finalising my will to ensure everything was in order.
My hopes were high, my spirits were up, but I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t scared. I was scared and sometimes numb. My family, friends, instructors, and clients were overwhelmingly amazing.
On October 2, 2019, I received the call from my nurse coordinator that I had been matched to a donor liver. A liver that would be the right size for my body and close enough so that the transplant could be viable.
On October 3, 2019 I had my transplant surgery but it wasn’t without complications. I had a blot clot that moved to my heart and then into my brain resulting in four minor strokes after which the blood clot dissipated. By the grace of God, I woke up on October 4th and they completed the transplant surgery.
The Recovery
My pain level after surgery was unbearable. I had to use my upper body strength to get up and down. I was unable to use my core muscles because the surgeon had to cut through my skin, muscles, fascia, and nerves. As a result I was unable to use my abdominal muscles and experienced debilitating back pain - as my lower back was completely locked up.
As soon as I arrived home, I began to walk on the treadmill which is all I could do. I also used light hand weights to strengthen my upper body and to encourage my posture while my abdominals were healing.
As I rehabbed using the Pilates method, I found that I was also gaining a better understanding of my clients and their limitations. For instance, I couldn’t feel my mid abs, similar to my clients who had C- sections and couldn’t feel their lower abs. This allowed me to create exercises and modifications to help myself and others.
For example, doing the water slide exercise I placed a small ball between my scapula, which helped me maintain a stabilized C-curve position to strengthen my core without having to roll up and down. As my body began to heal, scar tissue formed around the incision causing the fascia to tighten. The nerves slowly regenerated and muscles learned how to fire again.
While this experience has taught me so many things, it also made me realise that the Pilates method is more than an exercise regimen, it's a way of life and teaches you how to mentally and physically push through the pain. I focused on this quote often by Joseph Pilates throughout my liver journey which brought me peace:
"Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor."
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to realise that certain things are out of our control and patient enough to trust God's timing.
This experience has forever changed me and the way I live my life. I can wholeheartedly say the Pilates method helped me survive the surgery, made my recovery much faster and gave me the ability to come back stronger than ever!
Dr. Ryan Taylor’s Letter
To whom it may concern:
Ms. Kahley Schiller is a remarkable patient. In August 2019 she experienced a rapid deterioration in her health due to the unexpected development of life-threatening liver disease due to autoimmune
hepatitis. She required a liver transplant to survive and has overall done extremely well through this
challenging health journey. I firmly believe Kahley's health and wellness supported by her Pilates values were instrumental in her success and recovery. At every step I could see the benefits Pilates had for her during the treatment and
the recovery process. Due to her underlying excellent baseline health, she experienced a faster recovery than most patients. I was especially impressed with her abdominal healing despite an extremely large surgical wound from the transplant. She was able to manage medication side effects and the stress of her illness better than most patients due to her Pilates experience. Additionally, I believe her commitment to Pilates kept her anchored and focused despite the serious health considerations she faced.
I know Kahley will continue to contribute to the field of Pilates and wellness. She is an amazing
ambassador and role model for both Pilates and as a liver transplant recipient and transplant advocate. It has been an honor for me to be a part of her health care team. Please let me know if any additional information is needed.
Sincerely,
Ryan M. Taylor, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine
Medical Director of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation
University of Kansas School of Medicine
Kahley Schiller founded Pilates by Kahley in Kansas City in 2005 with a mission of sharing her passion for Pilates to help others change their bodies and their lives. Her practice was instrumental in her recovery from liver transplant surgery, and she now specializes in Pilates for injury prevention and rehabilitation, working with clients from young athletes to breast cancer survivors to the Kansas City Chiefs. Certified in Pilates mat and equipment through DK Body Balancing Method of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She also recently trained with first generation Pilates teacher Lolita San Miguel, completing the Pilates Mentor Master Program to become an official second generation Pilates instructor.