NeuroBalance Center’s founder and driving force is Joy Wagner, someone who has walked in the footsteps of the clients who seek her center’s services. A pediatric nurse, Wagner was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. As the single mom of two daughters who were very young at the time, she was knocked off her feet with the MS diagnosis. For four months she could not walk, drive, or read. She gave up her nursing job and needed help to manage the day to day.
Since that diagnosis, Wagner was determined to find ways to help herself, and then others, so she founded fitMS, a specialized exercise program that was offered in many locations. Later the services would grow into fitMS NeuroBalance, an exercise program for a greater pool of people with the mobility issues associated with MS, Parkinson’s Disease, Crohn’s, Celiac, fibromyalgia, stroke, and much more. In time, the services Wagner was offering people became NeuroBalance, a nonprofit services entity. An ADA and mobility friendly services facility was built in Barrington with the support of the community—a first of its kind.
Today, NeuroBalance Center (NBC) offers a lifeline of services for people whose conventional and insurance-supported rehabilitation services end. “People come to us when everyday life does not look the same anymore,” Wagner says. “They don’t know where to go and they might graduate from therapy, but it’s to the couch, to depression. We are their post-graduate program, and we help them maximize their quality of life. They’re creating a new normal and we can help their health condition progress much more slowly.”
Connor Stickney, a Barrington native, didn’t seem to be a typical client for NeuroBalance thought his dad, Jon. But after a conversation with Wagner at the NeuroBalance Center, Jon Stickney learned NBC was ideal for his son’s long-term recovery from a motorcycle accident whereby he lost a portion of his leg. The young man eventually agreed to take physical therapy there, and Wagner had the idea of taking a new pilot program offsite and employing horses for the therapy. The idea of a ride into downtown Barrington from the center arose from this pilot program. “What a great way to showcase our work and offer a heartfelt surprise for the Stickney family and honor our organizations’ supportive bank team,” Wagner said.
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