ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Mark Mueller has been a personal trainer for decades. He started the non-profit MS FitEffect in 2015, several years after his wife, Jackie, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Renting space out of the Elizabethtown gym in Lancaster County, Mark's goal has been to teach people with the disease how to manage their symptoms through exercise and fitness.
People like Deb Cordi, who was diagnosed in 2010. "It's been life-changing for me," she told FOX43.
She found it so helpful, the school teacher from York County drives 45 minutes each way, just to train with Mark.
"It's so worth it and every time I walk out of here I'm so glad I came and even if I have trouble walking, I pretty much skip out," Deb said.
Mark found so much success with the program that he wanted to make sure other people could benefit from it. So every year, Mark donates a 10-week personal training program to 20 people with MS as a way to give back.
That's why Deb nominated Mark for a Jefferson Award, saying he works tirelessly each day to help those battling the challenges that come with the disease.
"It's just a wonderful thing, probably the best thing I've ever done, she said.
"This is for everyone with MS," Mark explained. "This is for everybody, whether you're in a wheelchair and you're not mobile or whether you are newly diagnosed and you really don't have many symptoms, this is for everybody it's about getting your body strong to face the disease with strength."
If you ask him though, it's not the Jefferson Nomination that matters.
"It feels really good getting an award, I mean that's sort of like icing on the cake, but every day you know I can go home feeling good knowing that we're changing people's lives and that they're excited about what we're doing for them," he said.
Mark says he will continue to lend a helping hand, one step at a time. He also added that he would like to have his own facility to operate out of and that's his goal going forward.
For more information about MS FitEffect, click here.