Coach and caregiver connect

Latasha Friarson is a caregiver with Abcor Home Health. For the past several months she’s been assisting Mike Suhadolnik, a health and fitness coach, to be more independent after a fall a year ago. Friarson goes to Suhadolnik’s home Monday-Friday, three hours each day. Having a caregiver does not come naturally for Suhadolnik, and he is not a typical client for Friarson. Yet they’ve developed a collaboration between patient and client and are now each other’s coach and caregiver. While Friarson is helping Suhadolnik maintain his independence, Suhadolnik is helping Friarson improve her health and nutrition. 

Friarson, 42, grew up in St. Louis and moved to Springfield in 2000. She worked at St. John’s Hospital before deciding to try something new. She also took care of her mother, who died at the age of 49. Abcor Home Health provides nonmedical and skilled nursing care, enabling individuals to preserve their independence and quality of life in the comfort of their own homes. Since working for Abcor Home Health, Friarson had two clients die, which has been heartbreaking. She gets very attached to the people she’s helped. She considers it “my honor to do for those who need it” and says “you have to love people” to do her job. 

Suhadolnik, 82, fell and broke his arm and leg a year ago. That led to a lengthy hospital stay, which took its toll on Suhadolnik, who is incredibly active and before his injuries was typically at the gym by 4 a.m. It has been a long recovery. He uses a walker and no longer drives, but that has not dampened his energy or enthusiasm. He does four 20-minute relatively high-intensity workouts daily. He rides his Airdyne bike, does step-ups, walks 600 steps with his walker, and uses resistance bands and a chin-up bar.

He intends to live to 100.

Friarson is diabetic and weighed 317 pounds when she met Suhadolnik. She was down to 250 in November, and her goal is to weigh 200 pounds by January. Suhadolnik has helped many people transform their lives and lose weight by getting them to change their diet, avoid processed food and focus on nutrition and exercise. With Friarson he has a captive audience. 

Friarson shops, cooks, cleans, helps with personal care and provides companionship for Suhadolnik. He is particular about what he eats, with meals being 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% healthy fats. He provides the grocery list and guides Friarson on how to cook using fresh produce. “He motivates me,” Friarson told Illinois Times. She’s changed what she eats, drinks water and citrus green tea instead of drinking Mountain Dew all day and can now walk without being out of breath. She says many in her family are “on the big side.” Now she is trying to motivate her family members as Suhadolnik has motivated her. Friarson has an 11-year-old son in sixth grade, who also inspires her to stay motivated. 

Friarson says the next step for Suhadolnik is to help him get off the walker, while her goal is to get off insulin. Suhadolnik is a former math teacher, longtime building contractor and CrossFit coach. He’s read a lot of nonfiction books over many years and now is focused more on writing to keep his brain active. Although he isn’t back in the gym at Instinct Health and Fitness (formerly CrossFit Instinct), he has a weekly phone call with the Longevity class at 7 a.m. on Saturdays, sharing words of inspiration and encouragement. He puts a great deal of thought into his weekly messages and works on this throughout the week. 

Suhadolnik started the CrossFit Longevity class for people 55 and older and trained others individually with the goal of helping people become more fit, active and healthy as they age. Mobility, balance, weightlifting and high-intensity workouts are all part of the program, along with consistent messages related to food and nutrition. 

Suhadolnik believes there is no age limit to learning something new, and that “I can’t” is a mindset that can be changed. He is committed to overcoming obstacles. He is a fan of Steven Pressfield, who wrote the book Do the Work to help people overcome all those obstacles that get in the way of completing a project that was started and never finished. Overcoming resistance is the focus of the book. 

Coach Mike and caregiver Latasha are open with each other. “I’m interested in life and creating life,” said Suhadolnik. “I couldn’t be any happier.” As for Friarson, she says she’s a good worker and a loving person. “I love what I do.” Sadly, Friarson’s mother passed at age 49. That is also motivation for Friarson to improve her own health and fitness and be there for her son. Suhadolnik will encourage her every step of the way. “She’s such a good person and has a heart of gold,” he said.  

Karen Ackerman Witter met Mike Suhaldonik when members of her Sunrise Rotary Club encouraged her try out the Crossfit Longevity class. She’s been a regular participant in the Longevity class since February 2016. 

This article appears in December 11-17, 2025.