At 72 years old, Marji is a widow, a mum of two sons and a very proud grandmother to five “super grandchildren.” But when she first came to the I Can Therapy Centre, she was feeling very different from herself.
“I came to the centre with a very low mood, which was not me and I had to find my happy side again.”
Marji knew she needed to do something for herself. She had always understood the importance of exercise and the positive impact it can have on mental health, so she decided to take that first step.
“I’ve always known that exercise is good for your mental health, so that was my aim, I had to do something for myself Emma.”
Her first visit was with her granddaughter. They came to have a look around, where Marji met Julia.
“I actually came in with my granddaughter to look, and I met Julia (what’s not to like) such a warm welcome, honestly, I’ll never forget that day and I was emotional then.”
After visiting the Centre, Marji was shown around another sports centre’s facilities. It was overwhelming, but she knew something about I Can felt right.
“I knew that I wanted to come here. So that’s how I felt and how I got here. I was looking, I knew that I needed to do something.”
It didn’t take Marji long to realise just how much she wanted to be part of the Centre.
“I knew after the first week that I wanted to attend on a daily basis and I knew that! I went up to Julia and said I want to book all the days.”
Her goal was simple.
“I just knew that I loved it. And my aim was keeping fit and feeling happy. That was my main goal.”
Looking back now, Marji can see just how much has changed.
“I feel so much happier, more confident and I just feel super, that’s all I can say.”
For Marji, being active has become about so much more than exercise. She has always been a walker, but she has noticed a difference in her joints and, importantly, in her mental wellbeing.
“My joints are definitely more flexible, and my mental health is so so so good. And I know that for a fact, just coming in here and the people I have met are unbelievable.”
It is the people she has met along the way that have become such an important part of Marji’s journey.
“I’ve never met such a variation, I love people. Emma, I love people and it’s sooo interesting.”
Marji’s commitment to staying active is clear. She walks to the Centre, completes her circuit and walks home again. She even turns down lifts from her son because she knows how important movement is to her.
“My son goes I’ll give you a lift mum, and I’ll go no, I need this exercise.”
But there is another very special reason why Marji wants to keep fit.
“I want to keep fit, all my other grandchildren are all grown up but I’ve got an 8-year-old grandson, and I want to be able to play football with him.”
And she certainly isn’t holding back.
“I don’t want him to say ‘Oh Nanny you can’t’, and I DO go out and play football, you wanna see me running around!”
For Marji, staying active is also about helping herself to remain independent.
“There are things that spurred me on, when I watched my mum with dementia and the way she was hoisted in and out of bed, or onto the toilet I would sit and stare at her and think I can’t go like that. I’m trying to help myself; it’s the only way to do it. Nobody else can do it for you Emma.”
Her motivation to keep coming back is also strongly connected to the people around her.
“The staff, ‘top’, seriously! You are all so good and all the lovely people I’ve met it’s just fun; it is, it’s just fun.”
Even on difficult days, Marji knows that coming through the doors will make a difference.
“Even on a dark day, you get up and think once I get in there I’ll be alright, and I am.”
That became especially clear when Marji unexpectedly had to take a six-week break from exercising.
“Do you know what, it was absolutely awful, when the nurse said no exercise, I literally cried! Those 6 weeks really made me notice, what this place had done for me.”
She couldn’t wait to return.
“I was biting at the bit to get back in here, I could not wait, I missed it dreadfully.”
Even while she was away on holiday, I Can was never far from Marji’s mind. She packed her I Can Therapy Centre T-shirt because she knew she wanted to exercise while she was away.
“I felt so proud Emma.”
Marji even wore her I Can T-shirt whilst doing aquatic exercise on holiday and spoke to other people at the holiday gym, proudly telling them about the Centre back home in the UK.
“I said ooh, this is the centre I go to back in the UK and this is what I do, and they were really interested.”
Her experience of using a gym while on holiday only made her appreciate I Can even more.
“I went into the gym and there was no way I could use any of the equipment. But I Can is so good, the way you are so looked after, to go to an outside gym now, would definitely be a no no for me, this is so safe, a safe place.”
When Marji finally walked back through the doors of the Centre, there was only one word that could describe how she felt.
“Amazing!”
She describes I Can as much more than somewhere she comes to exercise.
“I couldn’t wait, I can’t describe it, it sounds silly, but this is like my second home. Seriously, honestly, I absolutely love it.”
For Marji, the relationships she has built at the Centre are a big part of what makes the experience so special.
“It is the overall experience, but it’s you staff again, it comes back to you the staff. There’s just something about you all I can’t put my finger on it.”
“I look at you and Lily and you’re like my granddaughters, and I’ve got a connection there, and Julia and Ann they are so good to talk to, you can off load, they are brilliant. I know that I come and talk to somebody.”
Alongside the friendships and connections, Marji has also achieved things that she is incredibly proud of.
One of those moments came when she completed three laps on the cross-trainer and was given a gold star.
“Yes, you gave me a gold star when I hit my 3 laps on the cross-trainer.”
But perhaps an even bigger achievement was reaching a point she once thought might not be possible.
“And that number 9 it actually took me 18 months to be able to hold my arms up on that machine. I used to say to you I can’t do it, and I don’t know what made it happen, but I can do that and I’m not moaning about it. That’s a big improvement.”
And when asked how she feels about that achievement, Marji says it simply.
“I’m proud of myself!”
Her enthusiasm extends beyond her regular sessions too. When Marji was invited to take part in the Tea, Talk and Tag event at Riverside Activity Zone, she knew she wanted to give it a go.
“I love a challenge, that’s the first thing.”
Although she was initially nervous about the darkness of the laser tag arena, it didn’t take long for Marji to find herself running around and enjoying every minute.
“I hated it, when I first walked in there, I thought ‘oh my god, I don’t like this’ but I was running around, I was like ‘yeah’.”
“I hope there will be a next time, it was good fun, I loved it!”
The experience even took Marji back to her childhood.
“I loved it and it made me go back to my childhood, and I didn’t realise how fast I could run!”
One particular moment has stayed with her.
“I came face to face with a friend, and I shot her and she said ‘you shot me’ and said I’m sorry… whilst laughing.”
“I will never forget that day!”
For anyone considering joining the I Can Therapy Centre but feeling a little nervous, Marji has a very simple message.
“Just come and have a go, you will not be disappointed. They won’t be. Until you try, you’re not going to know.”
“Just come in.”
For Marji, taking that first step has given her something incredibly special. It has helped her feel happier, more confident and stronger, while giving her a place where she feels safe, supported and surrounded by people she cares about.
So, how would Marji finish the sentence, “Since coming to the I Can Therapy Centre, I…”?
“Proudly wear my top, I would encourage anyone to join. It’s given me my Mo Jo back, and I have a second family. All I can say is thank you I Can!”
And perhaps nothing captures what the Centre means to Marji more than her final words:
“Honestly, I could burst into tears, that’s how I feel about this place. This is my little place and I love it, dare anyone say anything about it.”
Thank you Marji, for sharing your story – and for reminding us just how much can happen when you take that first step and simply give it a go.