A couple each battling their own disability became professional bodybuilders and inspire an entire gym.
At Houston Gym on Durham, their real body masters savor each rep because each step is a struggle.
“I almost passed away from the scoliosis,” Wade Washington said.
Wade turned to weights to counter his scoliosis.
“At first, I thought about trying to become a professional wrestler,” he said. “That was my goal.”
His wife, BJ, joined him with one shared, exhausting goal: becoming professional bodybuilders.
“I was really like, oh okay,” Tina Chandler, the Washington’s trainer and co-owner of Normal to Be Fit. “I said I don’t know how we’re going to do this but we’re going to find a way.”
She and Carl Ducena, Chandler’s husband and co-owner of the fitness company still cannot believe what happened next.
BJ, who was 172-pounds and unable to walk or get out bed on her own because of cerebral palsy lost 57 pounds in a year. Now, she squats and scales stairs.
“It feels awesome and I have my freedom back,” BJ said. “It really teaches us discipline and to really be in touch with who we are as a person with a disability. That was my goal: to get back what I had lost.”
Along with her husband of 24 years, the grandmother of three is a fitness champion with medals and trophies to spare. Wade Washington even has a banner hanging inside Houston Gym.
“That banner tells me I am a pro and I am able to do this still,” Wade said.
Bodybuilding is now a cherished career for the couple.
“I am an overcomer of whatever life throws at me,” BJ said. “I don’t let it stop me. I don’t give up.”