Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@j7healthjaveno/LADbible
Topics: Gym
Max Sherry
Javeno McLean, you are a hero.
The powerlifting champion has opened up a gym exclusively for people with dementia and disabilities – and it's 100 per cent free of charge.
37-year-old McLean, who is also a dead-of-two, has been giving up his time to train those who are disabled, sick, or elderly, without asking for any money in return.
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The owner of Manchester-based gym J7 currently works with 15 disabled children and more than 30 elderly people.
It really is an incredible gesture from a man who simply wants to bring joy to people through fitness and health.
“We can give someone as much joy as we can with the cards they have been dealt so the world’s not as frightening for them," Javeno told LADbible.
"It started spreading like wildfire, and I got some amazing messages and I thought the more people that know about this [the better].”
He added: “The lessons we learn in the gym; they transcend and go into real life. That grit, that determination, that fight,” he explained.
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“They get a new found level of confidence to do things that they never thought of. To try new things. To improve their quality of life. And I think I’ve had something to do with that. It’s amazing for me.”
McLean's heartwarming story was first documented earlier this year, but has started doing the rounds on social media again more recently.
Popular page Pubity, which boasts 31.8 million followers on Instagram alone, post a carousel of the beautiful story, racking up almost one million likes in less than 24 hours.
One of McLean's clients is Marley Fenton, who has cerebral palsy.
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Through basic everyday exercises that able-bodied people take for granted, such as getting out of his wheelchair, picking up a ball and lifting it over his head, 11-year-old Marley has made progress with both his physical and mental wellbeing.
Marley’s mum Nicola said Javeno has made a hugely positive impact on her son in the short time they have known each other, giving him the ‘determination to never give up’, as well as building his confidence.
Nicola told LADbible: "He makes Marley smile from the get go. Javeno deserves to be known for being such an incredible guy with a huge heart."
She believes Marley's overall mobility will progress 'a lot’ and she's also confident that Javeno, who is working on Marley’s core strength, will aid him in taking his first steps.
When asked about the motivations behind his work, Javeno said: “I’m from poverty. I understand what it’s like to have nothing.
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"My family taught me when I was young, when I’m in a position to give without taking, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
He continued: “I’m doing it because I want to help. I want it to be as organic as possible.
“I don’t ever see the wheelchair, I see the person. I don’t see the cancer, I see the person. I don’t see the disability, I see the person.”