Dateline Long Beach: The Aquatic Center brings swim therapy to disabled

Xiara Leiva, a swim instructor at the California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center in Long Beach, works with Joey Perez, l3, who has autism as well as muscular dystrophy and is terminally ill. (Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer)

As instructors lift Joey from his wheelchair and place him in the warm pool water, a remarkable transformation takes place.

In the wheelchair, Joey looks disinterested, almost like he is bored with his surroundings. But as the warm water envelops his body, his face breaks into a broad, joyful smile. He lets out a cry of pleasure.

With the help of lifeguard instructor Xiara Leiva and a flotation device, Joey starts to move legs that had been rigidly locked together in his wheelchair. He lays his head back in his water world of freedom, happy as a 13-year-old boy suffering from severe autism and muscular dystrophy can be.

"He comes to life in the pool. He speaks with his eyes," says Pat Dixon, executive director

Patricia Dixon, executive director at the California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center, enjoys the company of parent Mieko Hester-Perez, while her son Joey Perez, l3, who has autism and muscular dystrophy, enjoys the warm-water pool therapy in Long Beach. (Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer)

of the California Aquatic Therapy and Wellness Center in North Long Beach.

Smiling proudly with Dixon are Joey's mother, Meiko Hester-Perez, and his sister, Rebecca, 14.

"This aquatic center is a gem," his mother says. "I am going to do all I can to let people know how important it is in improving the quality of life."

The Aquatic Center, formerly called the Pools of Hope, has seen major growth since it opened in the backyard swimming pool of civic leader Evelyn DuPont in 1956.

DuPont had developed polio as an adult and was rehabilitating herself through aquatic therapy. This inspired her to open the pool to provide free swim lessons to children with disabilities.

In 1963, the organization purchased

an outdoor pool facility at 6801 Long Beach Blvd. In 1977 the two pools were enclosed to allow for year-round usage.

Since its inception 46 years ago, the Aquatic Center has provided more than one million therapy sessions to improve the lives of residents throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties, Dixon said.

With its two warm water (91-94 degrees) pools, the Aquatic Center has many conditioning and rehabilitation programs catering to adults and children with special health

Darryl Hefflin, who suffered a stroke, and his wife Donna leave an exercise class at the California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center in Long Beach. (Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer)

needs. The pools offer shallow areas for water aerobics, exercising, walking, jogging and swimming and deeper areas for lap swimming and therapeutic exercises.

If you have time, it's worth a visit to the pools to see the enthusiasm of the patients and staff, including licensed swimming instructors who work with patients. The Aquatic Center also partners with Henry Helms of New West Rehabilitation to provide physical therapy services.

When I was there last week, I heard uplifting stories from some of those using the pools.

Before coming to the pool, Joey's mother, a legal researcher, had been in the news for her unconventional use of marijuana to treat her son's autism. She said she is convinced that marijuana,

James Carter has been swimming at the California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center in Long Beach for 25 years. (Sean Hiller / Staff Photographer)

baked in brownies, has prolonged Joey's life. Her son eats one brownie every three or four days.

She said Joey weighed only 42 pounds when she started the marijuana treatment. He gained weight steadily and now weighs 124 pounds.

In response to critics, she says: "Unless you've walked in my shoes, your criticism falls on deaf ears. I'm fighting for my son."

She has created the Unconventional Foundation for Autism to raise awareness of different ways to treat autism.

Unfortunately, Joey was dealt another devastating blow in August 2010 when he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which Hester-Perez said is unrelated to Joey's autism.

"His muscles were starting to collapse," she said. "They finally diagnosed that he had an extremely rare form of muscular dystrophy, so rare that there is no treatment and children die by the time they're 16. I am going to do everything I can for him until I lose him."

Last year, her foundation sponsored "Joey's Hope," a fundraising event at the pool, where she and her son come once a week. She is planning another event in the fall.

"Not enough people know how great this aquatic center is," she said. "This pool should be seen by everyone. I want to help spread the word."

Hester-Perez said she will do everything she can to keep Joey alive - but if she loses him, she said she will continue her foundation as his legacy.

"Joey has been a blessing to us. His struggles have helped so many families. Now, he is fighting for aquatic therapy. I feel so much responsibility.

I'm just a regular mom," she said. "My job is not done."

Debilitating stroke

When Darryl Hefflin suffered a massive stroke three years ago, he was confined to a wheelchair and couldn't speak.

Today, he is walking with an aid and is speaking, haltingly - but speaking nonetheless.

He and his wife, Donna, credit the Pools of Hope with helping him improve so much. She gets in the pool with him four days a week and does the exercises with him. The Hefflins were high school sweethearts and will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary July 9.

Darryl was a carpenter working for the Compton School District when he collapsed at home with a stroke.

When I asked him what he misses most, he says, "My carpentry work. I .. .oh, God ..."

His wife explains that he has a hard time finishing sentences because he knows what he wants to say, but it just doesn't come out and he gets frustrated. She said her husband wanted to say he is making a gym in his garage.

Darryl said he enjoys the water, and Donna points out that he is a really good swimmer and was on the high school water polo team.

"He's come such a long way," Donna said. "The people here are fabulous. We feel so blessed. This is our second family, our pool family."

Coping with pain

James Carter says the Pool of Hope helped him not only rebuild his life but save it.

He started using the pool 25 years ago to help him with spinal cord problems. "I still had pain, but the pool helped reduce some of that pain," he said.

Carter's life went into a tailspin when his only son, Damion, 19, was shot and killed by a gang member in a random, drive-by shooting in Compton in 1995.

"Someone had disrespected this guy. He drove around looking for him but couldn't find him so he just shot into a group of young people having fun in the neighborhood. One of them was my son and a 7-year-old boy who survived," Carter said.

"I gave up on coming to the pool," he said. "But after awhile I said I had to get out of this depression or I would kill myself so I came back to the pool."

At the pool he helped children learn how to swim.

"I had to give back somehow," he said. "Working with the children saved my life. It gave me time to get my mind off my son's murder and think of other people."

rich.archbold@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1285, http://twitter.com/richarchbold1.

Want to help?

The California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center is always looking for financial and volunteer help.

Most of the Aquatic Center's services come through a membership program. The annual membership fee is $85 and a daily visit costs $2. The center is constantly working to find sponsors and grants.

If you are interested in making a donation or volunteering, call Pat Dixon, the Aquatic Center's executive director, at 310-537-2224. For more information, visit http://www.california aquatictherapy.com.

On the Web

See a video of the center at presstelegram.com.

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Dateline Long Beach: The Aquatic Center brings swim therapy to disabled