Publication Date: Friday, November 23, 2001

Pushing the limits of MS

By Amy Goodpaster Strebe

For bodybuilder Paul O'Lone, the 1993 Mr. North America, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 1997 was life-shattering.

After competing in over 75 bodybuilding competitions and winning several titles over 10 years, his life was all about physical fitness and working out. What would he do now?

Dealing with what seemed to be a death sentence, O'Lone soon found that his incurable disease actually opened doors for him and led him to what he feels today is his true calling in life.

"When I found out that I had MS, I didn't want to go anywhere," O'Lone said. "I bought a home gym but it just made me lazy. I realized that I needed to get out of the house and be with other people. Although my clients enjoy the in-home training that I provide, my goal is to make all gyms as accessible to people with disabilities as possible," he said. "It's important that they have an opportunity to get out of their houses."

O'Lone believes that 90 percent of multiple sclerosis is mental. "Because MS is a neurological disorder, if you think your condition will get worse, it probably will get worse," he said. "If you think you'll get better, you will get better. I tell my clients if they believe, they can move mountains."

In 1997 _ the year he was diagnosed _ O'Lone set the groundwork for his company, Accessibility Training, an in-home personal training business for people with disabilities. His wife Judy is also a certified personal trainer, and specializes in pre- and post-natal exercise.

"Our goal is to get men and women with disabilities into an exercise program for a healthier lifestyle, both physically and psychologically," said O'Lone. "We stress ability, not disability. Our organization is to ensure that all individuals with disabilities get the full benefits of exercise through both mental and physical training."

Although O'Lone frequently trains clients _ with and without disabilities _ in their own homes, he also provides physical training at The Club in Mountain View, located on East Middlefield Road and Whisman Road. Angelo Cortopassi, a Mountain View resident and a retired teacher who has had MS for 30 years, is one of his clients.

"If I didn't work out I'd be in a wheelchair," said Cortopassi, 65. Having exercised for the past 20 years, Cortopassi comes to the gym five days a week for two hours at a time. "I feel good after coming here," he said. "I guess I'm addicted to working out," he said.

"I am continuously inspired by my clients," O'Lone said. "Angelo is in better physical shape than most 65-year-olds without a physical disability. I was worried about what my life will be like 30 years down the road, but after meeting Angelo, I'm not as worried about it anymore. I can see how the physical training has benefited him"

After moving to California six months ago from Philadelphia, O'Lone said the positive choices he has made in his life since his diagnosis have given him the courage to fight his disease.

"For awhile I didn't want to accept that I had MS," he said. "But when I finally did accept it, it was the biggest positive step I could take, and it really turned me around."

Through physical training, O'Lone said, he was able to rehabilitate himself from being in a wheelchair last year. "Stress can really impact MS, and by removing the stress factors in my life, and by working out and changing my diet, I was able to get back on track."

O'Lone is currently working with Karl Kanopf, an M.D. who teaches a class on adaptive fitness at Foothill College. The course, O'Lone said, is held once a month for one year, and the three other personal trainers who work with him are also taking it to become more familiar with the particular needs of their disabled clients.

"When I was first diagnosed I spent a long time asking, 'why me, why me?'" O'Lone said. "I got an answer to my question," he said. "This is my purpose, my calling in life."