A 30-year-old man with cerebral palsy, who once wished doctors would amputate his left arm, can now use it to get dressed, clean his teeth and use the bathroom independently when previously he had to rely on carers to do these things for him.

Alex Christmas, 30 from Yelverton in Devon spent years working with physiotherapists, but it was a personal trainer at the Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centre in Devonshire who managed to help him achieve life changing results.

“Most people take cleaning their teeth or getting dressed for granted but for me, the ability to do those things is lifechanging. My left arm used to be completely out of control due to my condition, and I had to sit on it as I was so afraid of knocking things over. I never imagined that I’d be able to use it like I can today. I can shake someone’s hand…things that were once unimaginable for me,” says Alex.

Alex started working with Nuffield Health’s personal training lead, Sam Quinn, in November 2016 after his mother signed up with him. “She wanted to get stronger so that she could look after me. My mum was 42 when she had me and as one of my main carers, she needed a strong body. She spoke to Sam about me and he offered to help. He didn’t know anything about cerebral palsy, but he did a lot of research and came up with a plan.”

When Sam asked Alex what he hoped to gain from the sessions, he explained that he wanted to strengthen his upper body and improve coordination. His proudest moment was pulling a 100kg sled along a 10m track with one arm while seated. “Sam challenged a few of the able-bodied gym goers to do it and they couldn’t,” Alex says.

He also manged to winch himself up a 60ft ships mast with one arm during his annual charity sailing trip. “It used to take eight people using two hands to winch me up the mast to the crow’s nest. I asked Sam if it would ever be possible for me to do that myself and he suggested we work towards it. We concentrated on improving my strength and I managed to pull myself 50 foot up in the air in about eight minutes,” says Alex.

The pair began their work together with some basic movements. “He started by getting me to hold a ball,” Alex explains. “Then we moved onto a weight and then I did shoulder presses without any weights. My body had to get used to the movements. With cerebral palsy, you don’t just move one muscle, my whole body is having a workout and while I’m very focused on the weight I’m lifting, Sam will be looking at my whole body and telling me to keep my back straight, uncross my legs, keep my feet planted on the ground, etc. We make a great team.”

The physical results have been incredible and working out with Sam has boosted Alex’s self-confidence and social life.

“I didn’t have a good time at school,” he says. “I would stick closely to my carers who were usually middle-aged women. I went to university to study English Literature and while I loved the course, I didn’t make friends. It’s hard for me to socialise. I can’t just go to the shops or visit the cinema – if I want to do that, I have to arrange it six weeks in advance with my carers.

“When I started working with Sam I didn’t have any care in place, so between October 2016 and April 2017 I was leaving the house for three hours a week to go to the gym and that was it, that was the entirety of my life outside the house, so as you can imagine, it became pretty important to me. I wasn’t just going for a workout; I was going for social interaction too.”

Alex’s mother passed away in April 2022, which has been a devastating blow for him, his father and sister. “It’s been really difficult, and my family and I are still trying to adjust to life without my mother so for that reason, I haven’t planned much for 2024. I have carried on going to the gym though. I have a carer who drops me at the gym, Sam meets me and then my carer collects me when I’ve finished.’

One of Alex’s biggest wishes now is to find a girlfriend. “I feel as if I am living my teenage years at the age of 30. I am not mentally disabled; I have a degree and my passion is film. I’d love to someone who shares my interests and sees past my physically difficulties. Because I didn’t make many friends at school or university, I’m quite naïve and feel I have a lot to learn about relationships but one thing I’ve learned through working with Sam is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

To find out how Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Centres can help you achieve your health and fitness goals in 2024, visit: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/