Throughout

the years, I I learned one thing that

everybody can get better. It's just

where to start. Find the starting point.

My name is Tim Ferris and I'm here to

share a story with you about what can

happen when belief meets action.

Many of us take things for granted,

things that feel second nature,

automatic, easy. But for some people,

even the simplest tasks are challenges

that must be overcome each and every

day. Things like walking, talking,

bathing, interacting with the world in

general can feel like barriers.

It can make someone feel like they're a

prisoner in their own body. But with a

little help from the right people, the

very things that once imprisoned us can

actually become the fire that sets us

free. And I use us because this applies

to all of us.

>> Oh, hey Desan.

>> Yeah. Hi, Mr. Greg. Greg.

>> Fantastic. Are you ready to conquer that

mountain?

>> Yes, I am. Okay, let's do it.

>> Uh, Tajin was born in Soul, Korea 2

months in premature.

So, we stayed at the hospital for 15

days and around when he was

6 months, 7 months, when babies started

crawling, he didn't crawl. So that was

the first sign. And then a year or a

year and a half later, he didn't try to

stand up and walk.

So we brought him to the hospital and

found out that he had a cerebral psy.

We did everything every kind of therapy

exercises for him to develop

uh to become a normal kid. But we didn't

see any improvement.

And when he started walking, he used to

walk on tiptoes.

We went to the

hospital and they recommended surgery.

But the surgery wasn't was the last

thing I want to do.

By the time he was 10 years old, the

hospital said if we delay surgery, then

we may not perform the surgery anymore

because of his weight. So we made a

painful decision to give him surgery to

put his feet down to the ground.

And the doctor told me that uh you will

see your son walk normal again like a

walking. I have no choice but to give

him a surgery. So we did it in H

Highleber in Germany.

So after the surgery his feet

were put to the ground but still he

couldn't balance himself well. So a

small bump can trick him and he fell

down easily.

I thought that we have to do something

to uh help him.

>> The definition of cerebral palsy has

actually changed over time and the most

modern definition really describes this

as a clinical diagnosis that involves

onset of trouble with movement at a very

young age, typically around the time

you're born. And this is a permanent

disorder that causes lifelong problems

with mobility and lifelong problems with

movement control. We used to have this

idea that cerebral pausy was only

related to brain injury that somebody

suffered around the time of birth. But

now more recent data has shown us that

maybe up to 30% of individuals with the

diagnosis of cerebral palsy actually

have some sort of genetic factor

contributing to their diagnosis. It's

absolutely essential to understand that

even if there's a genetic cause for

someone's cerebral paly that does not

take away the diagnosis of cerebral

palsy. And there are a variety of

causes. Um whether it's injury or

infection or the brain develops in a

different way or a genetic cause,

environmental factors, any of those

things can result in what we call

cerebral palsy.

>> I I wanted to give him a personal

trainer, but trainers changed jobs

everyone so often, so I couldn't find a

steady uh trainer.

And then

many years passed.

I ran into Jersey Georgie because of uh

Bob who is my one of my friends.

I ran a restaurant here in town. Uh my

partner and I and uh I had managed to

get myself pretty heavy over the years.

I weighed a little over 200 lb at the

time. It was at the point where a friend

of mine gave me a bra for Christmas.

I saw an article in the paper about this

guy that uh wrote a book, Happy Body,

and uh we went came up here to Woodside

to uh get a copy of his book and uh

signed it for us. Maybe four or five

months later, I had gotten down to uh

under 160 pounds. And a friend of mine,

I kept talking to him about Jersey and

what he could do. He asked me, "Do you

think it would do anything for my son?"

One day, Bob uh asked me whether I can

see his friend and help his son. I said,

"Of course." Right. But he said he had

he has cereal policy. I said well it's

not different than anybody else. Right.

So when I uh met Tajan first time he was

uh crunch he hold his arms and he was

very weak very lethargic and walk on his

toes. He sat here and I was looking at

him, ask him questions, but didn't get

any answers really. So I said, "It's

okay. Let me get him to the gym." I

thought I will put him on a bench and

let him press a bar. We'll see how

strong he is on that. He couldn't lift

off. He was so weak. He couldn't lift

that bar off.

And I have that bar, the bar made out of

wood, 3 lb bar. So I put that on. I

asked him to take the bar off and do the

lift. And he did. And I put the 5 lbs on

each side.

And then it was 8 lb. I asked him to do

it. He did it. So I removed that, put

the bar back, this aluminum bar. Ask him

to do it. And he did this. But when he

did, I realized that he's going to

progress here

and he's going to progress very fast.

The father wanted a normal child. I

said, "Well, you have to give me 5 years

first and we'll see where we end up."

George is the first one who said he can

do something about my son. There is

something that can help my son.

So we signed up with

Jersey immediately and started training

>> and then the journey began.

>> Heel and toe. Easy, easy, slower. So

heel and toe. Slower, slower. The way I

walk. Slower.

Yes, that's good. Right. Hard. I know.

>> Heel toe. Heel toe. Heel toe. Nice.

Okay. Heel toe.

>> So if somebody has cerebral pulsy,

that's just the the tip of the iceberg.

The next piece is to figure out why. And

determining why is what really helps us

to tease out now what? Let's see what

you can do. What are the base what's the

baseline level of activity? How do we

take that, strengthen it, and build on

it to really optimize functional

movement, to really optimize efficient

movement, and to really optimize your

quality of life? Now, I have to mention

that there's a wide wide variety and

wide array of severity for CP. So, some

children have very very minimal symptoms

and other children are profoundly

affected. But we know that when we can

really tailor interventions to an

individual and their specific needs,

that's where the magic can happen.

>> So from my experience uh you know as a

Olympic weightlifting coach, I u I know

that if I have five years of training

somebody, I can create

a major change. I called the father. I

said you have to come and watch it. And

uh I asked him to be present in the gym.

That's has to happen that the parents

have to coach their children. They

cannot. So they have to we have to shift

the brains of parents that they look at

them not as people that they are sick or

ill or handicapped. They are not.

They are just people who have the brain

that in that brain there are a lot of

boulders to move around.

>> We went to see Jersey twice a week and

started training.

>> Before he came, he couldn't jump up and

he couldn't land because he was very uh

awkward and glossy. He was his his legs

were very tight. And then when he uh

landed he could fall right away. But

after he was stepping and jumping and so

on, he started jumping on a higher level

higher level. He was taken from the the

brain was taken from the place to uh not

able to do to actually be able to do it.

So his brain was was started developing

developing pathways to the body

controlling that body and he started

really jumping on an 11in box right.

So I added one pound or two pounds every

week and then slowly was making

progressively stronger.

Took time to accumulate uh the the

resistance the the higher resistance and

then uh adapt. So the body could adapt

to that because the body was getting

stronger, the body was getting more

flexible. So the body was waking up and

the progression of that boy was amazing.

>> 18 19 20.

>> All right.

>> Yes. Really good. 12 lbs 20 times. Wow.

So from 15 lbs unable to do 15 pounds to

170 lbs. So he's a 150 pounds boy that

is able to lift press more than his body

weight. That is more than any you know

20-year-old boy can do. That building

the strength open

possibility for Ten to be awakened.

about maybe six, seven months, I uh I

asked father

about the changes if he sees any. I was

looking for transitions

and he said he always slapped. So I

didn't hear any voice. He was in the

back of the car. But last time I heard

the voice and he said I saw a car.

So I asked him, "What kind of a car was

that?" So he didn't know. I said, "What

color of the car?" He didn't know. It's

okay. So you know, today when you go

home, I want you to

look at the cars outside and remember

the car and the color of the car, right?

So he came back and said, "Did you see?"

Say, "Yeah, I saw two cars." Okay. So

what is the model of the car? Honda and

Priyas, right? What are the colors? He

told me the colors. I said, "Who drove

the car?"

I don't know. And so he came back, he

told me about the car, the color of the

car, and

who drove a car. So eventually he

memorized the car, the color, who drove

the car, how old was the person and

driving license of that car. I was just

amazing. The father, you know, really

told me once that his only language was

time to go to bed or time to eat. And it

was in the situation that he said we had

the first first conversation.

>> I am grateful

for the ways that I have changed

since I worked out with coach Jersey.

Previously,

I did not pay attention to what was

happening around me. I have communicated

better with my parents by sharing my

training in the gym. In conclusion, I'm

happy with the progress that I have

made.

>> Inside every person is an endless well

of potential that when unleashed can

exceed even our wildest imagination. And

sometimes all it takes is just one

person who believes in that potential.

>> So 15 was a very interesting time for me

because it was the time of uh um of

going to high school. My parents doesn't

think like the college is for for us for

me it's for other people but not not for

me. My father was a locksmith. So you

know I needed to go and be a locksmith.

So I passed the exam, went to high

school. I was not ready for this kind of

work and study and so on and uh I would

do other things like drinking vodka and

so on. So my alcoholic years began

and I was alcoholic until about 18. So

no school and uh everyday blackout. You

know I had suicidal thoughts and you

know I was I was done almost and this

guy came to me

and his mother threw his all the

equipment out of the house uh

weightlifting equipment. I said, "Well,

you come to my place and you can uh lift

in my place, right?" And so he brought

everything and he said, "Well, maybe we

can train a little bit." And I said,

"No, forget about it. You train and I

will take it up." So, uh, he said,

"Well, maybe we'll just do a little bit

bench press and go for the beer." Right.

For a beer. And I looked at him and

said, "Beer?"

took my attention, right? I started

doing training with him. I was extremely

weak. I mean, really weak. I could

barely lift the bar.

So, uh, next day the whole thing

repeated again and again and again and

again. And I started really getting

stronger and started really feeling in

my body something new, something

of myself, something that that strength

was waking up in me. It's kind of he was

like on my angel. He was pulling me out

of my alcoholism.

If you have somebody like that in life,

you're just blessed.

Now I'm 18, 18 and a half, 19 and the

time comes to uh to go and to the army

because you have to go to the army. So

fire department offered uh three years

of work or training and you could do

that instead of going to army and uh

that was amazing when I first time was

in the fire engine going to the fire

you know I felt something in me like a

what I've never felt before the feeling

that somebody needs me and I am that

person going there. I was so proud of

myself. It's like I've never had that in

my life that

somebody really needs me and I am that

person going there. It was amazing is

waking up back in me. It's high school.

I I want to go to high school. I want to

go to college. My friends are already

after high school and you know they talk

about things that I cannot relate. I

didn't have conversation

with them. So I go to the same high

school

and get myself into the evening classes.

There's this soccer player Edu dad. I I

walk but 200 m is his house. So he comes

out of his house and he walks with me to

school and I don't know why. So he walks

to the high school and then I am there

and comes back and walks with me back

and it goes like this for a year or two.

He was really saving me. He was

making possible for me to go to high

school and not to go and do the the

drinking.

Another angel kind of right. That is

settling already idea in my brain that

we really need people.

If you want to go out of really a place

where is really hard for us, we need

other people to help us.

drag us all the way, right? And and move

us toward help us to go to the next

level.

Okay. All right. Let's do it. One,

two. All right. Very good. Three, four,

five, six, seven. You remember how was

uh uh you know, walking upstairs? It was

difficult. Yeah. And I was I was

>> I feel really nervous

>> and afraid.

>> You you used to, right?

>> Yeah.

>> Now you're okay. Yeah.

>> Yeah. I'm okay now. I'm okay.

>> So

good things are happening everywhere,

right? That that he's really not only is

awakened but also he's capable of talk

about that and share. He's not crashing

anymore. He uh he can now lift the leg

because I was doing a lot of training uh

with stepping on the higher boxes. So

now he lifts his uh foot up and down. So

he's not shuffling. He's not tripping.

He's not really uh crashing down. He

become more flexible. So one day I

noticed that his one Tajan's one uh shoe

was shoelaces were untied and the father

rush to tie the laces. So I said, "Oh,

oh, stop stop." Right. He can do that.

He was ready. He was ready to take care

of himself. and to Jen lean down and

start really uh tying his

shoes. At that time I asked him, "So

what else do you do?" Well, and he said,

"We do everything." I said, "What does

it mean everything?" And he said, "Well,

everything. We dress him. We take him to

the toilet and so on, right?" I said,

"You cannot do that. The boy is ready to

take care of himself. You have to give

the boy chance. The parents first time

stop really dressing him and the Jen

started becoming more independent.

You remember Kennedy said, you know, uh,

we don't do these things because they

are easy. We do those things because

they are hard.

So hard is something that I'm always

attracted to because hard it means

progress.

Easy means repeating something. So it's

completely useless for us. So is in

weightlifting in any kind of a

weightlifting and coaching hard means

finding the way how to push the athletes

to unknown to make that athlete uh

better over time. Right? That's the hard

choice. Those hard choices are not only

are they are spiritual hard choices,

mental and the physical there are

everywhere, right? Hard choices not so

simple. So the cerebal policy people are

born with this condition but that

condition doesn't get worse over time.

So what gets worse over time is that how

they live in a society. They cannot fit

into society. They usually walk on on

toes. They uh speak slowly. They cannot

uh they are awkward. And because of

those things they don't develop

as others do. Others look at them as as

uh people that to comfort to care but

not to do anything with them not to

really make them better because you know

medicine is doesn't do it. What needs to

be done is to coach these people like

athletes. And when you really engage

that you can create progress. They can

read, they can study, they can go to

schools and uh you know become like

Tajan right now. He is completely

independent. He is in a place like

anybody else. It's just he's 30 years

old and now he's trying to figure out

who he is in this world. He was given a

second chance.

I am pretty good piano player. I

practice every morning.

My dream

is to be able to study with normal kid.

>> Eventually he passed the eighth grade

and now is the the college. now is that

uh time whether he would be accepted or

not. And I talked to these people in

college and they said that they would

accept him back into this special

program. I said, "No, no, no, no special

program. He has to be around normal kids

because he is normal. He's capable. He

is already studying so much. He's slow,

but it's okay. He will get it. He will

get into his own time, but he needs to

be around, you know, people. He's

normal. There's nothing wrong with this

guy, right? He's okay.

I feel I am at I am at the same level

just like any other

students in at college.

when I heard that he was accepted to to

college and I was just thinking wow it's

just amazing thing what can be done

right it's what a journey this boy went

through what an amazing things he he

went through and he went through it and

he fired from within and he somehow

stood behind all the all the things that

he needed to

You know, and I felt so good. I felt

like again like is this fire engine,

right? Driving to the my first fire. I

felt so good like that I was going

somewhere to help someone.

I I I

can express my thought more effectively

and clearly. I have more confidence in

call at college.

>> The the cereable policy people are not

different than anybody anybody else.

They just they are you know it's harder

for them certain things but they are not

really different. They can be coached.

they can be trained and they can achieve

amazing things and who knows what will

happen to the journey finally.

So, we've been married for 40 years and

I've watched Jersey,

his kind of genius. And as uh

as his partner in life, I always saw how

important it is for him to see people

who are suffering and and necessarily

they suffer because of their ignorance

or they suffer because uh

they are stuck in their mind or they

imprison themselves. He

doesn't he cannot be an emotional. He's

emotional in in those situations.

With Tjun now off to college, Jersey

answers the call from another in search

of the dream. Jacob Zalooki, the founder

of the One Step Closer Foundation.

>> My dad's a professional poker player, so

he kind of got me started in this whole

thing. And I went to my dad and I was

like, "Dad, I want to start a foundation

to create a scholarship for people with

disabilities that have medical issues

that are preventing them from going to

school. We've sponsored, I believe to

this point, 12 people to with

disabilities that um able to go to

college and live out their dreams and

not have their disability be a

um a hindrance on them. All

right. You must be Jacob.

>> You must be Jersey.

>> Well, pleasure to be here.

>> True pleasure. Absolutely.

>> Are you ready for the magic?

>> Let's do it.

>> Of course.

>> Fantastic. Let's go to the gym. All

right. Let me close the door. Okay.

So, how old are you?

>> I just turned 40 in February.

>> 40. Yeah.

>> All right.

>> Not bad considering I wasn't supposed to

be here more than 2 weeks.

>> Right. So, you were you have been always

on the

>> I was 3 months premature. Uh I had the

umbilical cord was wrapped around my

neck. I had a brain infection. The

doctors actually didn't think I'd have

any quality of life, be able to eat,

speak, or do anything. And luckily, they

were wrong with about 95% of their

predictions. Uh what would be um the

best for you? What you could really wish

for yourself to improve? I mean

>> um I guess balance uh just get better

balance and and

>> you know if possible to be able to to

you know to not need the walker as much

and then to walk if if that's a possible

thing. So, if I told you that you

actually could turn to your balance and

have it and maybe walk,

>> that would be phenomenal.

>> Would you give me 3 years?

>> I'd give you 20 years.

>> Yeah.

>> Like that. I think the three years could

happen a lot.

>> He helped many, many people in life and

I've watched them. He he would encourage

them, he would inspire them, tell them

uh some good words that the they will

start moving toward you know the right

direction.

And so Jersey and Jacob set out on their

own journey, a new journey, one fueled

by hope and dedication with the belief

that one day he too can be a prisoner no

more.

All this time in a body that won't heal

my mind.

I'm so much more than they believe. Draw

the line. I won't accept this is just

fine.

I'm more than who they said I'd be.

Heat. Heat.

I'm a prisoner no more.

Break the chain by me.

I'm a prisoner no more.

I won't let them tell me what my life

has in store.

Cuz I'm a prisoner no more.