Roy

I saw and spoke to Mr. Roy almost every morning over the years, but it had been nothing more than a casual “good morning” or “have a great day” type of conversation.  We had never formally met, and I wasn’t even sure of his name.

Roy would always grab a cup of coffee on his way out of the YMCA after his workout, and that’s where I would talk to him on a surface level. He is a magician with his coffee.  Roy will fill a Styrofoam cup all the way to the top and talk, walk, and gesture with his hands without ever spilling a drop of the delicious liquid.  If I tried to do that, I would be wearing the coffee all over the front of my shirt within seconds.

Recently, Roy approached me and said that he had to tell me something.  I assumed that he was going to voice his opinion about something at the “Y” (I work there) so I invited him to tell me what was on his mind.  He told me that he had witnessed me moving around slowly and had seen me with my cane and proceeded to tell me his story.  When he was younger, he walked hunched over and could not stand up straight, ached all over his body, had extreme difficulty moving around, and used a cane.  When he was 55, a doctor told him that he would soon lose the ability to use his legs and would never walk again.  He explained that after hearing that news, he joined a local YMCA where he lived and signed up to learn how to swim.  He struggled during his first lesson.  He thrashed around and just could not get comfortable in the water.  He wanted to quit, but the lifeguard wouldn’t let him.  She coached him and provided encouragement…and tough love.

Roy told me that he stuck with it and has remained consistent in getting in the water as often as possible.  He told me that it’s not important to swim the perfect stroke or to do a certain distance or time; but the key is to move around, wiggle your arms and legs, and even walk on the bottom of the pool.  Just keep moving and let the “magical” qualities of the water help the body heal.

Now I am not the greatest at guessing a person’s age, but I knew Roy had at least a decade on me.  He told me that he is 91. My jaw dropped.  I had no idea of his past struggles with mobility since he walks, talks, and acts like a younger man…especially one much younger than 91.

His favorite thing to do is to sit in the whirlpool immediately after his pool session.  (We have a large whirlpool in the aquatics section of our facility.)  Roy found that the bubbly water increases his circulation and soothes the knots in his muscles.  Plus, the water temperature in the whirlpool just feels good.  “It didn’t happen overnight, and I had to stay consistent, but it worked for me”, explained Roy.  “Let the water do the work, young man.”

Will I ramp up my time in the pool?  You bet.  Am I going to increase my visits to the whirlpool?  Definitely.  When Roy tells me a recovery story like his, I would be stupid not to.

Try some “water therapy” and see if it works for you.