Image Source: dnj.com
MURFREESBORO – For Alex Nicely, who has cerebral palsy, weightlifting is more than a sport; it’s become a way of life for him.
And he’s holding a weightlifting meet at Gold’s Gym on Saturday to benefit Lift With Purpose, a nonprofit he founded to help children with cerebral palsy receive much-needed therapy.
“If a baby goes without oxygen (during birth) there is damage to the brain and that damage depends on how long the baby goes without oxygen. It affected only my lower extremities,” said Nicely, who was unable to walk on his own until he was 5.
But when he did start walking, he could only go short distances. Then puberty hit.
“When I was 13, I went through a growth spurt. My muscles grew, but my bones didn’t because of the cerebral palsy,” Nicely recalled.
By 14, he was bound to a wheelchair.
“My parents could not accept this fate for me. They researched for months for the best alternative because traditional physical therapy was bearing no results,” Nicely said.
His parents eventually found an intensive physical therapy in Poland, and it was pricey — $10,000 total.
“This type of therapy was not approved for use in the States and was very expensive. With help from our church to get things started and the generosity of the community, all the funds were raised so that I could undergo the treatment I needed,” Nicely said.
The treatment involved the use of a weighted Adeli suit, which was originally developed in Russia to help cosmonauts counteract the effects of weightlessness. Nicely’s family traveled to Poland for four to six weeks at a time over a period of five treatment sessions. He had to wear the Adeli suit six days a week for six hours a day while undergoing the “intensive treatment,” he said.
Purpose of the suit was to build “muscle memory.” So when he would return home after each visit, he continued intensive exercise.
Ten years after being confined to a wheelchair, the 25-year-old can now dead lift 405 pounds and squat 285 pounds. But Nicely wanted to pay it forward, so to speak, and help others.
“I wanted to find a way to help people not as fortunate as I was. So I took my love of weightlifting and combined that with my desire to help others and created Lift With Purpose,” Nicely said.
He decided to start a clothing line targeting the weightlifting community and use profits “to help others combat these expenses (of therapy),” he said.
And still, he wanted to do even more. So he devised a plan for the weightlifting meet on Saturday at Gold’s Gym, known as “The Mecca” for the community of power lifters.
All the proceeds from entry fees for Saturday’s meet will benefit a young boy named Ethan, whose left arm and right leg are affected by cerebral palsy. With assistance, the boy’s family will be able to take him to a clinic in Utah.
“It’s about $2,000 a week and most insurances don’t cover it because it’s considered still experimental. So we want to send him out there for a week or maybe two weeks,” Nicely said.
All of the proceeds from the clothing sales also benefit others with cerebral palsy to receive treatments and equipment they need.
“As a result of these experiences, I have learned to never take my abilities for granted,” Nicley said. “As a result I am now walking and doing more than I thought I ever would.”
Former investment banker Doug Sparks is a world-class pole vault athlete who founded Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT), a recruitment network that connects licensed physical therapists with the medical and healthcare institutions that need them. For news on fitness, injury management, and physical therapy, follow this Google+ page.
After all Nicely chose to help others. :)
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