As the sun was beginning to set on a warm Fall day, eighteen-year-old Josh stood in his driveway, not knowing that in a few minutes his future was about to shine brighter. Friends, family, and Shine staff counted down the moments before the big reveal. As the garage door opened, Josh’s excitement swelled to astonishment as he realized his Shine Dream of a custom adapted home gym was right before his eyes.
Josh lives with right hemiplegia cerebral palsy which limits movement on the right side of his body and affects his coordination. He finds that daily exercise helps maintain his physical strength but most importantly for him, his mental health. Working out and taking care of himself helps Josh get through a tough day. He loves how it relieves stress, boosts his adrenaline, and eliminates his anxieties.
Josh’s Shine Dream for a customized gym eliminates his frustration of trying to fit in a workout based on the gyms hours, working out in a shared space that can have broken machines, and other people disturbing the flow of his routine.
Tears were in everyone’s eyes as he walked through his new gym and saw it fully equipped with everything he needed. Thanks to Shine donors, Matrix Fitness, GoodLife Fitness and Trigon Construction, Josh feels at ease being able to work out any time of day and spend more time with family.
“I can definitely say that this has impacted my life in a gigantic way and given me so many opportunities for what I can do with my life and the space. I’m excited about my future and where I can go with it,” he shares.
Josh’s gym has inspired him to work towards power lifting, something that requires a lot of balance. His ever-growing strength and confidence are motivating him to pursue new fitness goals. He also plans on exploring a career as a personal trainer from the positive experience he’s had guiding his brother-in-law through new workout routines. Before, he never had the confidence to share his skills, and didn’t feel like he had the knowledge to do so. It’s been an unexpected positive result of having his new home gym.
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