Taylor introduced me to my RGO walking braces. I got them in August 2003. A year later, after he had been showing me the proper way to use them and I had transitioned from a walker to forearm crutches, he challenged me to walk the last couple hundred feet at the March 2005 LA Marathon. I had about seven months to train for the walk. When the day came, I had about fifteen members of my family there to witness the event. The announcer called out my name and the crowd cheered. Several Armed Forces personnel were clapping as I went past them. When I sat down after walking across the finish line, a woman handed me a flower, then another woman started interviewing me. Her microphone had the NBC logo on it. That evening on their Marathon recap, I was on TV for about thirty seconds.
On Thanksgiving Day 2005, an interview that I gave about my achievement aired on ABC. You can see this interview on my website at http://www.spinalman.com/media/video.html. It was the first event of many to follow. That year I completed three 5ks, each time walking across the finish line. Over the next four years I did about ten more 5ks, one 10k (came in first!) and four more LA Marathons. The LA Marathons were the ultimate event of each year for me and the other disabled walkers that participated with me. In 2009, our last year, we had fourteen people, from all areas of disability, such as stroke, CP, and SCI. The LA Marathon organization recognized us as an official event. Before each walk Taylor gave an inspirational speech. Because I organized each event, I was nominated to be the Captain of what we termed Team Rise Above.
If you look at my website, you'll see other examples of his influence on me. In 2001 he took pictures of my back, when it was of a normal curvature. Then he retook them in 2008 and again in 2012. You can see the comparison at http://www.spinalman.com/my-back.html. It is this sort of foresight that has made Taylor an integral part of my rehabilitation.Early on, a group of us began formulating an idea about a specialized gym designed specifically for the needs of those of us for whom a lot of equipment at regular gyms is meaningless and as a place where Taylor could work his magic and train others to do the same. In essence we were the genesis of CORE. You can see a picture of us and the result of our work at http://www.spinalman.com/fitness/core.html. Taylor also introduced me to the concept of the need to use a standing frame on a daily basis. I got my first frame in 2001. In 2002 I took my first bone density scan as a baseline. I also started taking Fosamax weekly and calcium daily. Every other year I took the scan and started seeing a marked improvement. I started out with severe osteoporosis and progressed to where I have normal bone density. The first test is at http://www.spinalman.com/bonedensity.html. There is a link at the bottom of each page that leads to the next one. You can't argue with success.
As I can't move my legs, they would get stiff if not for Taylor showing me specific stretches that I do EVERY DAY. The stretches help reduce spasms, making it easier to transfer and spend more time sitting throughout the day with less pain.
He designed a weekly protocol for exercise customized to my needs, which includes dumbbells, cable pulleys, the NuStep machine, rows and presses and a machine called the Total Workout. Because of my bad back, he has one of his Restorative Exercise Specialists perform specific stretches with my legs to hopefully alleviate some of the curvature.
Taylor's extensive knowledge of human physiology comes into practical application quite often. One of the most telling of these is when I have a seriously sore shoulder, for instance. He first does an assessment of where the pain is through either range of motion or his incredibly powerful and sensitive fingers touching the area. What is often fascinating is when a part of my shoulder is hurting, he doesn't go directly to that area. Instead he palpates an area to learn where the pain is coming from, which is not always the area that hurts. He can do this because of his knowledge of human anatomy. He's done seven full-body dissections. So he says he really knows what he's talking about, plus he's been actively pursuing sainthood with all of the good he's doing people. When he's done with his hand work, which is often painful as he's pressing deep into the muscle/tendon to break up adhesions that formed due to overuse or strain, he does a reassessment, more often than not to my surprise and pleasure with incredible pain-free range of motion. He is truly amazing.
Finally, it is fun listening to his stories about being in the South African army, sharing jokes, and hearing any new 'Taylorisms' he's come up with. A 'Taylorism' is an aphorism (abbreviation or phrase, often a rhyme) he's either made up or heard that makes a concept easy to remember. Examples can be found at http://spinalman.com/fitness/taylor-isaacs.html. Over the years I've been working with Taylor, I'm often intrigued when he comes up with a new exercise protocol for a session. I know that whatever we're doing is a means to an end. That's the way he works: he knows what his goals are for someone and he strives to achieve them through movement. He documents EVERYTHING, often supplementing his written reporting with video or stills.
Taylor is a genuinely modest man, preferring to remain under the radar, even though with his successes he could be riding a wave of popularity. All in all, he is a unique and pleasant man, capable of surprising innovations in the world of restorative exercise.
In summary, my life has been positively enhanced through my association with Taylor, which I'm grateful for. Whenever he has to cancel a meeting I am depressed. Even though I might do something with one of the others, there's nothing like Taylor. He is a magic man and a friend.