About five years ago, Jason Collins had a stroke.
He spent over a month in the hospital, had home therapy and then went through outpatient therapy for about six months.
Once he finished all that, he learned about the Ability Fitness Center at The Arc of Loudoun, a gym facility that supports people who have experienced brain injuries.
He spends several hours at the Leesburg facility, usually about two or three times a week, depending on his needs. It has fueled his physical and emotional recovery.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as much mental, social and physical, which you just don鈥檛 really find any place else,鈥� Collins told 海角社区app.
The center launched in 2017, and it started in a small building with just a handful of members. Now in a bigger space, the facility is staffed with physical therapists and technicians. It has the medical-grade equipment needed to help members, who pay about $600 monthly to have access.
The site has about 60 clients, primarily people with brain injuries, ranging from stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson鈥檚 disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS or balance disorders.
Helen Parker, the clinical director, said her interest stemmed from the over 15 years she spent as an outpatient therapist in a neurology clinic. Often, she said, she had to discharge a patient because they had used all their insurance benefits, even if she felt they weren鈥檛 ready to be discharged.
鈥淵ou’re sending them home and you’re basically saying, 鈥楬ey, good luck. Here’s your home exercise program, I hope you continue to make progress,鈥欌�� Parker said. 鈥淎nd so it just kind of broke my heart having to discharge people that, often not knowing that they met their full potential.鈥�
The Ability Fitness Center鈥檚 services can supplement outpatient therapy, Parker said, or help members whose insurance stopped paying for it.
鈥淲e work with everybody one-on-one, and then when they’re done with their one-on-one time, we set them up on equipment or doing the right exercises,鈥� Parker said.
Venkat Prasad, whose son Abhay is a member, said he was searching for a place that would emphasize the one-on-one time while helping reach the goals he and his wife set.
About three years ago, Abhay was in a car accident. He was the passenger in a car that hit a tree, and suffered head injuries, spending six weeks in the intensive care unit.
鈥淎 lot of people here just know him, how he responds, and under what conditions he responds, what music he likes and loves,鈥� Prasad said. 鈥淭hey help us play those things, and we can see some of the reactions immediately.鈥�
For Freddie Hetzel, who broke his neck in 2011, the space offers a sense of community.
鈥淚 might not be healed to the point where I can walk, but I feel a lot less broken than when I first started, and I have this place to thank for a lot of that,鈥� Hetzel said.
Many of the members 鈥渦nderstand the struggle that you are going through. And it doesn鈥檛 matter whether you pee in your pants one day or you just fall and you can鈥檛 get up. These are the things that we live with on the regular. And a lot of people don鈥檛 understand what those struggles are,鈥� Hetzel said.
Collins said he feels similarly. Whether he鈥檚 planning to travel for a Notre Dame football game or navigate a large and busy airport, he knows he has a support system.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just your therapist, but it鈥檚 people that are going through the same things you鈥檙e going through, so it can become, 鈥楬ey, when I traveled I learned this, or we tried that,鈥欌�� Collins said.
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