I was rendered paraplegic in 1998 by a freak medical accident. A few years later I met Taylor Isaacs, a clinical exercise physiologist. His inspiration and guidance led me to start walking with long leg braces. In September 2004 he challenged me to walk across the finish line in the March 2005 LA Marathon. I trained hard and on March 6, 2005 I walked the last 400 feet of the LA Marathon to a cheering crowd. After I sat down I was interviewed by NBC. That night I was in their recap of the race (for about 15 seconds).

I was interviewed for a cover story in the local newspaper about the event. Over the next several years, I was featured on TV and in print many times. I built a website to house all of these (spinalman.com). I definitely have had more than my fifteen minutes of fame!

The next year I invited five people with a similar disability to walk with me those last few feet. We came up with a name: 'Team Rise Above.' as I was the coordinator of the event, I became its Captain. We repeated our efforts each spring through 2009, at which time we had fourteen people with disabilities from spinal cord injury to stroke to cerebral palsy.

They changed the course in 2010, narrowing the final section of the course making us unable to safely walk on the side, so we haven't yet been able to repeat our feat. I haven't given up hope and check with them each year in case something changes allowing us to rise again.

Along with a dedicated group of people in the early 2000s we began dreaming of a place where Taylor could work with clients, a place where the entire atmosphere was one of support for people with disabilities.

Thus was born C.O.R.E. (Center Of Restorative Exercise). It took several years, but on January 1, 2011, our doors opened.

CORE is a special place where people from all walks of life, all generations, and all levels of ability can easily find a place to exercise. We have many specialized pieces of equipment usable by people with and without a disability. CORE is co-owned by Taylor, Laquita Conway and Aaron Baker. Aaron, a recovering quadriplegic, will be riding a custom Trike for America in the 2012 Paralympics in England. Taylor is there six days a week seeing clients the entire day.

The benefits of restorative exercise to me have been numerous. As an example, my left shoulder was injured in a violent seizure in 1998. Over the years, it got progressively worse. In October 2010, I scheduled a January 2011 surgery to fix the damaged shoulder. In those few months, Taylor worked extensively with me on prehabilitation, to ensure the shoulder would have the best chance to recover after the surgery. He was right. The shoulder has healed nicely and I’m enjoying greater strength every day.

Another example is what he’s given me as a daily stretching routine: I do a complex range of motion on my legs every morning that has kept them flexible and strong.

In August 2011, I got Logan, a Canine Companion.  Logan is a lab/golden mix. He was 2 when we got him. He’s a wonderful addition to our family and a joy to bring everywhere I go. He helps me by focusing my attention outside of myself. By needing to go on daily walks, he forces me outside to get fresh air and to exercise.

This page was last updated on