Testimonios en vídeo

My full name is Joseph Gerald Nye. I’m 80. I was born and reared in the city of Chicago. I had two careers: Marine Corps — 33 years in the Marine Corps, active and reserve, mostly reserve. Three of my first four years were in Vietnam. I started off with San Diego PD, when the uniforms were khaki — law enforcement.

I had a tumor develop in my neck, next to my carotid artery, and a blood clot came up and closed off my carotid artery. That would cause my stroke. It happened in milliseconds — there was no warning. And you know, I have to tell you, the stroke changed my life, but it didn’t end it. I kind of jokingly say it’s giving me something to do in my retirement. Being in the United States Marines is a curse in some respects — I don’t know how to give up.

As a matter of fact, when I had my stroke, I could not sit in a chair — I couldn’t sit at all, I would just roll out of the chair. I had to overcome that; that was my first obstacle. Then my second obstacle was being able to stand and balance, so I had to master standing, and then taking a step. I couldn’t do a standard exercise machine because my leg was so weak that my ankle would hit the pedal crank. All I could really do was take my walker and just walk with a walker. I had a difficult time.

I saw an advertisement on YouTube for the PhysioStep — it was an RXT — so I called the company, doing my research, and a gentleman answered the phone. I explained that I was a stroke survivor. I said, “Now, I’m not sure that your machine will work for me.” He said, “I designed that machine for a stroke survivor like you.” So Mrs. Nye bought it for me. They delivered it, and my son and grandson hauled it up here and put it together.

I used that machine for 13 years. It was flawless. When I first got it, I could barely manage a quarter mile, half a mile. I worked it up to six miles a day. After 13 years, I went to the company’s website and found the new machine, the MDX, which I currently have. Gregory, the product development manager, asked me what machine I had, and after I told him, he said, “Well, this is the machine you should be doing.” So I contacted my physical therapist, and he looked at the video Gregory sent me. He said, “Yes, the MDX — it’s an elliptical, and that’s what you need to keep building your strength.”

You might ask, why did I want a new machine? Technology. The new machine gives me speed, which the old one didn’t. Distance. It gives me my calories, my pulse rate, and the time I’m on there, so it allows me to get my cardio exercise. Let’s put it this way — heaven won’t have me and hell’s afraid I’m gonna take over! It allows me to get stronger. My wife will not let me go out of the house alone anymore, but the unique thing about getting exercise on this machine is that I’m completely safe — there’s no threat of falling, and there’s no concern of being hit by a car. That’s what the machine does for me, and it’s well worth what I’ve invested in it.

Do your research, talk to your therapist, and call the company — their customer service is excellent. I call, they answer my questions, they send me emails. I would recommend that machine to anybody who is a survivor of stroke or heart attack, because it’s going to work. It’s working for me. If you’re limited, this machine will help you — you must do this. My physical therapist says, “First we’ll get you walking, then we’ll get you to the marathon.” My goal is, literally, this summer — I’ve got a wonderful road bike, and I’m going to try and balance on that and ride it.

I broke my leg — my tib-fib. My doctor said that I could not be on a treadmill anymore, so I had to find a new way of exercising. My knees are stiff due to my disability, and I cannot bend my knees enough to go on a recumbent bike. So I did my research.

It gives me the right benefits that I need — it strengthens my arm strength, even my hands, so I can grip things a lot better. It strengthens my knees, strengthens my feet. It does all this without the high impact that treadmills and recumbent bikes put on your body. This machine allows me to move as much as I want to — go as fast as you want, go as slow as you want, it goes by your movements.

I use the PhysioStep LXT every single day, one hour a day. Your health is the most important thing in life — no question about it.