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WorkinCT #CTConfident: Turning physical therapy into a gym routine for children

CHESHIRE — Fourteen-year-old Grace Miramant has gone through a lot in the ten years she’s been seeing Craig Goldstein at Cheshire Fitness Zone. She’s been...

CHESHIRE -- Fourteen-year-old Grace Miramant has gone through a lot in the ten years she’s been seeing Craig Goldstein at Cheshire Fitness Zone.

She’s been diligently working on her mobility and making big strides with every step.

“When she first started she just had a surgery done where she had both legs worked on, so she wasn’t mobile at all. She was actually in a wheelchair. He saw us through that, and then to a walker..." said Heather McConnell, Grace’s mother. Now Grace is walking all by herself.

Grace has cerebral palsy and is working to make her body stronger.

She pushes herself by doing each exercise better than the last.

“Very proud of her -- she works very hard, and she always does it with a smile on her face. She’s always excited to come here, which is a great thing. She doesn’t refer to this place as work, she refers to it as her gym, which I have always loved,” said McConnell.

That’s how many of the children refer to this place.

“We want to offer a space for kids of all abilities so they feel comfortable coming in to do their therapy. A lot of kids will go to medical appointments, doctors, hospitals, so I want to offer them an environment where they felt they could have fun and achieve their goals, while still working on strength and mobility activities,” said Craig Goldstein, who owns Cheshire Fitness Zone.

Physical therapy is just one of the programs offered. Children from birth to age 21 come to Cheshire Fitness Zone for occupational therapy, speech therapy and aquatic therapy, too.

“We’ve had kids coming to us who weren’t walking who are now able to walk, kids who are nonverbal who are now able to speak, kids who had difficulty with sensory impairments not comfortable with their own bodies now able to be out in the community and play with other children,” said Goldstein.

“They’ve been wonderful here. They make it very kid friendly. They really work on the kids’ levels from the people at the front desk to the people who work directly with the kids,” added McConnell.

Cheshire Fitness Zone hosts activities all throughout the year for the community. On Sunday, December 3, there will be a Sensitive Santa from 10 to 1 for the children who might not want to visit with Santa at the mall.

To find out more information or to ask a question about Cheshire Fitness Zone you can visit their website. 

 

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