Summer workouts

People with disabilities overcome
obstacles to stay physically fit

By Kevin Pierson
Special to The Times

For local resident Brenda Mendenhall, 37, of 901 Danas Run Road in Newport, the idea of disability fitness took on a new meaning when her son, Gregory, now 15, was born with spina bifida.

Spina bifida is a condition where the bones of the spine don’t fully form leaving a sac where the spinal fluids gather, like a blister. Depending on the severity of the condition, patients suffer paralysis from the waist or neck down.

Gregory Mendenhall suffers paralysis from the waist down but through encouragement from his parents he has continued to stay active and physically fit, becoming a wheelchair athlete competing in track and field events.

Staying active and fit is more difficult for someone who is disabled compared to someone who is not. But despite the difficulties, it is absolutely imperative that a disabled person stay active and fit.

“Greg had a desire to do something. He knew that he couldn’t do the sports that his friends were doing, but his dad has taken him fishing, hunting,” Brenda Mendenhall said. “We asked Greg if he was interested in it (wheelchair track) and it snowballed from there.”

Gregory competes in the 40 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter wheelchair races as well as the shot put, javelin and the discus.

Gregory recently competed in a track meet in Charleston, W.Va., where he set six new meet records and qualified to go to junior nationals in Tampa, Fla., in five of his six events.

“Even his doctors are impressed by him. Greg is just incredibly healthy,” Mendenhall said. “As long as he exercises and keeps himself involved in stuff like that (track) his quality of life is so much better. As long as he wants to do it we’ll help him.”

For many in the community those like Gregory Mendenhall who suffer from a disability and yet continue to exercise and stay fit are an inspiration, but not all disabled residents stay as active as Gregory and those residents need a little help to get started.

The Marietta Family YMCA recently installed a new lift in its swimming pool to enable disabled residents to use the pool and continue to offer activities like weight training and aerobics that paraplegics can participate in.

“I think sometimes we forget that people with disabilities have hearts, lungs, blood vessels that need attention just like the general populace,” said Al Miller, executive director of the YMCA.

The new lift at the YMCA pool is used frequently to allow disabled swimmers access and has become a widely talked about subject at the Y.

“We’ve had a lot of phone calls, people knowing that the accessibility is there now wanting to come,” said Mike Bishman, aquatic coordinator at the Y.

The lift was purchased through a $4,300 grant from Alternatives, a division of RHDD, and is just one way that organizations like the YMCA can help those who are disabled stay active and fit.

“It has opened up a while new avenue for rehabilitation,” Miller said.

Though there are facilities in the community that can help the disabled stay active and healthy it can be a challenge to get to the facilities and start down the road to a healthier lifestyle.

“I think the hardest thing is just getting here. After they (the disabled) get here they love it,” Bishman said. “I think we try and reach out to everybody.”