A family acquaintance who wished to remain nameless said Johnny's story was inspiring to her.
"I have known Johnny since he was a baby," she said. "He was the prettiest baby I had ever seen. It was very distressing when he began to suffer health problems."
She said Johnny's story is really remarkable.
"Pete has done a fantastic job educating anyone who walks through those doors," she said. "I know what an impact he made in my life. To see Johnny up walking and out of his wheelchair is just so encouraging."
She said she has noticed the change in Johnny's attitude.
"He is now finally able to participate in life as you would want him to," she said. "They are such a strong family and have never given up. All that family support has paid off."
Pete Berry, owner of Bear's Gym, said Johnny is not the first client he has treated with similar restrictions.{NOW PETE NOT ONLY HAS A GYM AND A DELI, BUT STARTED HIS OWN THERAPY PLACE AND HAS PATIENTS ALSO WITH HEART PROBLEMS}
"We have helped a bunch of people like Johnny," he said. "We have stroke victims and older client who were shuffling because their muscles had atrophied."
Berry said with just a few months work in the gym, they got increasingly better.
"Within a month's time, they turn the clock back a few years," he said. "In several months, they turn the clock back 10 years. It's amazing how much stronger they get."
Berry said Johnny was like that when he came in.
"He came in here to eat and I showed him a lot of machines," he said. "I told him to just try and go from there."
Berry said he could not replace the work a therapist did.
"He was in a wheelchair when he came in," he said. "I could have gotten him that far. I showed him a different way to train."
Pretty soon, Johnny was moving from machine to machine without much help.
"He was holding on, then taking a couple steps," Berry said. "One day, he was trying to talk to somebody in here and walked the entire length of the gym. He was not thinking about holding on anymore."
After that, Johnny began to play basketball and work in the Deli, delivering food.
"If you change your program and train correctly, you can have phenomenal results," Berry said. "It makes a big difference in life.
"It's unbelievable the progress Johnny has made," he said. "It's like Tiny Tim walking again. It's a Christmas miracle."