It only took a split second for Mark Raymond Jr.’s life to change forever. In 2016, he became paralyzed after diving into shallow water. When he couldn’t find a comfortable space to work out, he created Louisiana’s first gym for people with disabilities — Split Second Fitness.
“We wanted to open our doors up to all [people with disabilities] to create a space where everyone could be comfortable,” Raymond said. “What happened, organically, were these micro populations started hanging out together and community started to get built.”
The New Orleans gym provides holistic services that improve health, function and the quality of life for people with debilitating injuries. The gym provides 1:1 sessions twice a week with workouts lasting between an hour and 90 minutes.
Members of the gym say it has given them strength and hope on their path of rehabilitation.
“What I see often is that people may enter our community looking to maybe maintain wellness or physical fitness, but what they end up gaining is a lot of confidence, a lot of self-acceptance, because we fostered this place of belonging,” Mary Delahoussaye, Split Second Cares director, said.
Learn more about the gym helping people with disabilities in the video above. Find out more about Split Second Fitness here.
