A new chapter for Matt

Through her physical therapy, she met a physical therapist who told her about a new gym that was opening in Waco called Waco Adapt. It is a gym specifically designed for people with various disabilities that may prevent them from using a regular gym. It is a gym where physiotherapy, rehabilitation and fitness come together.

That’s why Lisa and her husband Jon have been active at this gym since the doors opened earlier this year, and the stories they share about the people, their triumphs and their determination have been so encouraging. And from the beginning she said, “Kristi, I really want Matt to come!”

I really wanted Matt to go too. I just wasn’t sure how we could actually make this happen. Over the last three years, Matt’s abilities have declined so much (due to his MS) that I now have to do literally everything for him. Until a few years ago, Matt lost the use of his legs and right arm, but he still had use of his left arm (and his right arm dominates). But he could still feed himself, grab and drink a glass of water, etc. He didn’t have great fine motor skills with his left arm, but he could do the basics.

Then he got sick and had to go to the hospital. During that hospitalization he was able to use his left arm, and after that hospitalization he was no longer able to use his left arm. I have no idea what happened. This was not the normal course of MS. Matt was diagnosed with MS about 22 years ago and has always had a loss of motor skills very slow. Progressive but slow. However, this involved complete loss of his entire arm and hand during a three day hospital stay, which leads me to believe the cause was something else. I have no idea what that is something else However, it is.

Since that hospitalization a few years ago, Matt has been unable to do anything on his own. His medical records list him as a “functional quadriplegic.” He never regained use of his left arm or hand. This means that if he needs to eat something, I have to feed him. If he just needs some water, I have to give it to him. He can’t turn the TV off and on with the remote control. Nothing. To say that life has become more difficult since that hospitalization would be an understatement. This also means he requires a lot more of my time and attention, which means I have less time to work. As the breadwinner of our household, this obviously put even more strain on me. (This isn’t a complaint. I’m just describing our current situation. Taking care of Matt isn’t difficult at all. Time consuming, yes. Difficult, no.)

When Lisa and Jon told me about this gym, I really wanted to find a way for Matt. I think it would be very good for him, not only for training but also for the community. But my main problem was time. I already have so little to put into work and I couldn’t even imagine when I’ll be able to get Matt to the gym three (or more) times a week. So I told Lisa that I needed to think about whether we could find out something.

Well, last Monday Lisa, I and a few other friends went to lunch together. Since we have a wheelchair van, I picked her up and on the way we started talking about the gym again. I asked them if there was a service where they would pick people up from their homes, take them to the gym, help them work out and then drop them back again. She said they didn’t do it because they didn’t have a transport vehicle. Well, we were sitting in a transport vehicle at that moment. We have a wheelchair van.

When I mentioned this, her eyes lit up. She said, “Kristi, We can take him!” I told her not to commit to anything yet. I mean, it’s a big commitment and she would have to talk to Jon about it. And even then I thought maybe it would have to start as a trial to see if it was even possible.

But Lisa was so excited about it that after lunch she went home and called the owner of the gym (I’m assuming he’s the owner, but maybe not) to make some arrangements. Then she texted me and said that even he was willing to come to our house, pick Matt up and take him in our van.

To be honest, I was pretty amazed. I mean, this is much more than a gym. I can’t imagine another gym where the operators are so committed to getting people healthy that they would pick people up and take them with them.

So we don’t have all the details figured out yet, but I’m going to the gym with Matt tomorrow morning to meet the physical therapist and the other people there to see anything they have available that might be of use to Matt and to see if we can work out a plan of action.

I hope and pray that this all works out. Matt is very excited about it. The most immediate goal for Matt is to regain the use of his left arm and hand. If he succeeds, it will be a tremendous victory. Just this one thing would drastically improve his quality of life and save me so much time.

But they also have one of those machines that helps people with disabilities stand. And two days before this whole gym discussion even came up, Matt told me out of the blue, “I want to run this year.” When he told me this, I had no idea how we could even pull this off. Of course we don’t have the equipment for this at home. Matt hasn’t stood in ten years, so it didn’t even seem possible to get him into a standing position with his feet on the ground and his knees straight. But this gym has exactly what we would need for Matt to achieve that goal by the end of this year. It would have to be a very slow process since he hasn’t put any pressure on his joints for so long. But he seems determined.

Whether he achieves that goal or not, I’m happy to see him so excited. And even though we haven’t even been there yet and haven’t met any of the other people there, I’ve already gotten a glimpse of the strong, supportive community they’re building there. So Matt’s new chapter begins tomorrow and I can’t wait to see him part of this supportive community. I think it will actually be so good for him to be around other people who have similar problems to him and see how they tackle those challenges head on.

By the way, if you live in the Waco area, Waco Adapt runs on community donations. Matt and I will have no problem paying for Matt’s membership, but I know there are many people in the community who could benefit from this gym but don’t have the money for a membership. If you are interested in helping others with disabilities exercise, get the rehab they need, and be part of this supportive community, there is an opportunity to do so on the Waco Adapt website.

Here’s a short video I found from a local news station about the gym: