Trainer James Jones leads a "Be Fit, Be Able” adaptive exercise class at the Recreation Center. Jones suffered a stroke nine years ago that left him paralyzed on his right side. Through sheer determination and exercise he taught himself to walk again. Now, he shares his experience and exercise approach with others in similar situations./ Photo by Jennaye Derge

An exercise in ability

Former stroke patient’s workout program helps others overcome hurdles

by Stew Mosberg

The immediate impression of James Jones – with his hulking, 6’4” figure – is that he must be a bouncer or pro football player, or at the very least, have something to do with physicality. And if you guessed this, you wouldn’t be wrong.

It isn’t until you reach out to shake his hand, and he unconventionally offers his left one, that you discover his exigent condition. His smile is as infectious as is his upbeat personality, made more endearing because you soon learn he has virtually no use of his right arm or leg – the result of a stroke several years ago.

James grew up in Apopka, Fla., not far from Orlando, where he was a star wide receiver for his high school football team and later earned a scholarship to play ball at the University of Florida. Ranked No. 1 in the nation and with a bright future, Jones tragically broke his right knee during practice, ending not only his dreams of gridiron glory, but leading him to drop out of college. Disoriented and uncertain of what he wanted to do, he enlisted in the military and remained on active duty for four years before being honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant.

Married by then, he took a job in Kansas where he had been stationed and went to work training drivers for Federal Express. His wife, a nurse-midwife, had a job opportunity in Montrose, and so the two moved farther west, only to move again when a position as a nurse opened in Durango. That was nine years ago.

Just two months after arriving in Durango and planning to open a group home for teen wards of the state, Jones, who was 40 at the time, began having excruciating headaches. Doctors in Durango ultimately sent him to Denver for tests, where it was4  determined he had a brain aneurism, a fluid-filled sac in the wall of an artery. In his case, it was in the frontal lobe. He was told it needed to be removed and surgery was scheduled for two weeks out.

Normally a two-hour procedure, the sac burst while he was under anesthesia, and ultimately it took 11 hours to remove it. During that time, Jones suffered a stroke. It would leave him unable to speak and paralyzed on his normally dominant right side.

Recounting that horrific period, Jones says he lost the ability to speak for 3½ months. He spent almost nine months in the hospital and was taking 25 pills per day. Once rehabilitation could begin, he would remain wheelchair bound.

Four years after the stroke, with only limited results from his physical therapy, Jones decided to take matters into his own hands. “As a former athlete” he says, “I hated to work out.” But nevertheless, he began to do just that. At first, it was a series of stretching exercises that he devised himself, which eventually allowed him to use a walker and then a leg brace, and then finally walking unaided. Ultimately, the former driving instructor relearned to drive; passing the test on his second try. Today he has about 30 percent feeling in the paralyzed limbs.

Jones – whose wife left him when he returned from his lengthy hospital stay – discovered exercise was paramount to his recovery, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Nowadays, he shares his experience and what he has learned with hundreds of disabled and physically and mentally challenged individuals through a program he calls, “Be Fit, Be Able.” The program is geared toward people who have challenges they are going to have to live with for a very long time. This includes stroke survivors, people with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral palsy or those who have had accidents resulting in physical limitations.

He is quick to point out that of the 57 million disabled people in the United States, only two percent get regular exercise. It is his personal mission to change that.

Through word of mouth, he has amassed close to 200 clients. He visits the Four Corners Retirement Home and also provides a workout session at the Rec Center to a group of clients from Community Connections. In addition, Jones serves on the board of directors for the organization, which provides services to people with developmental disabilities in Southwest Colorado.

Watching him pilot a session at the Rec Center is inspiring and uplifting. The exhilaration of the participants is a reflection of the enthusiasm Jones projects. He is gentle and encouraging, letting each individual work at his or her own pace. Some are severely disabled, others less so. But all are given the chance to feel they are taking charge of their lives. He guides them through a series of repetitions while sitting in a chair because he can use only one leg and arm. He gets those who are capable of using both arms and legs to perform lifts and bends, twists and stretches, “running” while seated or standing if their capacity allows.

“This program is designed for anybody with any disability. It’s designed to make them feel good and to be excited about seeing how much they can really do for themselves,” he says.

“People need to know that they can go beyond where they think they can go,” he continues, “They can be more than that! People can do these exercises sitting down, standing up, with one arm or one leg; it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the person tries.”

This is a credo that Jones brings to a group setting or to a person’s home. Making “house calls” allows him to reach people who might not otherwise have access to the training.

Describing how Jones first became involved with Four Corners Healthcare, Activity Director Kym Ford says he stopped in one day in the early summer and brought doughnuts for the residents. “After a while he asked if he could introduce his exercise training to them and it turned into the ‘Exercise With the Doughnut Guy’ program that takes place on Monday and Friday mornings. The residents love it, she says, and really respond to him as one of them.

Gram Wohluft, manager of Day Habilitation at Community Connections, has been working with Jones for close to a year and is equally enthusiastic about what he brings to the clients. “He is well deserving of the recognition and makes my job easier,” says Wohluft. “(Jones) is a selfless individual with an infectious attitude.”

Although he is a certified trainer, Jones is not recognized as a medical practitioner or physical therapist and thus, his services are not covered by insurance or Medicare. As such, he charges a nominal fee – the only way he can sustain his practice. Not set up as a nonprofit organization, he is unable to seek grants, but welcomes contributions. It is the sheer number of people he calls “clients,” rather than patients, which allows him to continue his influential coaching.

But the biggest payment comes from seeing the results, the happy faces and the extra effort his clients put forth because of who he is and what he does. “It is an unbelievable experience for me,” he says.

For more about James Jones and his program go to: http://befitbeable.com