Clint's Story

Hello Carson City. I’ve been reading other peoples’ stories about how Paradise has helped (and is helping) them drastically improve their physical health, and I’ve been inspired to add my voice to theirs.

Before I tell you just how truly awful things got for me – and I’m talking about a ten-year-long nightmare you would not wish upon your worst enemy – let me first tell you that my life has gotten so much better in the two months I’ve been a regular at the spa.

Yes, just two months. In two months I have found hope; hope where there was only despair, before.

In two months I have vastly improved my physical condition. This, in turn, has allowed light to enter into the darkness that was, slowly but surely, consuming my soul.

I was in the Paradise pool, the other day, having just finished a class. I was tired but in a good way. There’s a big difference between being sick-tired, and being getting-healthy-tired.

Sick-tired is testicular cancer. Sick-tired is radiation therapy. Sick-tired is being prescribed all sorts of steroids to counteract the radiation. Sick-tired is having your metabolism pretty much shut down because of the steroids, and gaining 160 pounds. Sick-tired is enduring all of the above for close to a decade.

I was sick and tired of being sick-tired when I went to Paradise. Perry and Starr said they would show me what getting-healthy-tired feels like. As I watched the two of them talking the other day, while I bobbed up and down, I smiled. I hurt, a little, but it hurt so good!

One of the things that makes a community a community is common stories. Every member I’ve met at Paradise has a story of how their health deteriorated – suddenly, or over time - and Paradise became a necessary life change. All of our stories are different, naturally. Different details, but threads run through them, as they are usually fascinating, often tragic. Mine happens to be pretty spectacular.

I was sharing my story with a new friend in the change room. He didn’t know that Disneyworld has its own hospital. I know, because I almost died there.

When I was done with the tale, my new friend laughed. I asked why he was laughing. “Because,” he said, “Paradise is where you come for a happy ending to your Disney story.”

I laughed, “Me and everyone else here!”

My wife and I were warming down from a class at Paradise. I purchased my own year-long membership the day I walked into. Three days later, I bought one for my wife. Now we come three days a week, minimum.

In the two months since I signed on, I‘ve lost 50 pounds, and rarely feel sick-tired, anymore (my nutritionist shares credit on that accomplishment).

My wife was looking at the others in the pool. She looked pensive. “Que pasa?” I asked.

”All these broken people,” she said.

“All these healing people,” I corrected.

She smiled and came to me. I could feel the love radiating from her (that’s my kind of radiation therapy!). We had been through absolute Hell. Paradise is the opposite of Hell.

“Thank you for bringing us here,” my wife smiled.

“I love you.”