Success Stories
The videos below are the shortened versions of interviews we have had with real Dashaway owners. In some cases you will hear from there family members and doctors. Please continue to visit this page, new success stories are posted often.
Alice and Corky
Al and Diane Belsley
Written Testimonials
"I have never encountered a mobility tool designed to make the patient better. I see many applications in such diseases as Multiple Sclerosis. This new system not only stabilizes the patient while walking, keeping them in an upright and neutral posture, but they can perform exercises that strengthen the hip, back, upper body and cardiovascular system. In my opinion, the Dashaway is the most encouraging mobility and exercise tool available." To read the complete statement from Dr. Cohen please
click here»
Dr. Hart Cohen, M.D.
Neurologist, Cedars Sinai Hospital, Beverly Hills
April 24, 2007
“As a physical therapist, I recognize the endless possibilities for rehabilitation using the Dashaway. The unique arm pivot allows for varying degrees of support and unique exercise positions. The spinal traction feature offers decompression while the user exercises and is beneficial in all rehab situations. I see much value in using the Dashaway and will recommend it to all of my patients.”
SEAN HAMPTON, MPT
Physical Therapist
“Dashaway is the only mobility device that actually provides traction to the user. If a patient has pain, they simply push down through their upper body to create traction and decompress their spine. The exercise program is unparalleled when working with patients with lower back pain. All primary health care providers recognize the benefits of exercise. Dashaway is the perfect rehabilitation, mobility, and fitness system for my practice.”
Dr. Evan Berk D.C.
President of the California Chiropractic Association
“As a caregiver my goal is to direct or encourage my patient to performing tasks that lead to wellness. The Dashaway is a tool that not only improves my patients in the area of mobility, but I am more confident and secure when my patient is mobile as compared to the 'walker' used today.
The Dashaway increases my patient’s ability to perform daily activities including oral hygiene, shaving, and toilet related activities. It also assists my patients from various positions into the standing posture allowing the patient to take a more active roll in dressing.
Quite simply…the Dashaway is a great product providing independence and active aging for my patients, from standing, sitting to total mobility and enjoyment of life’s daily occurrences.”
Lonniel Golston
Licensed Vocational Nurse. LVN
Health Professional for over 30 Years
Dashaway Owner - Al Belsley Interview
The Dashaway is the latest advancement in mobility technology. One of the first people to test out the Dashaway system is Al Belsley, a Parkinson’s patient and retired aerospace engineer. On December 15th, 2007 Charles Blount, co-inventor of the Dashaway, sat down with Al and his wife Diane to see how they were progressing. The following are excerpts from their interview…
Dashaway: So Diane, how has his condition affected you and your relationship with Al? Are there any activities that you find yourself having to avoid?
Diane: Well he has the type of Parkinson’s that’s called Simian Stoop, and so he has a great deal of pain in his back. And it’s been difficult for him, because as much as he would like to stand up straight, without some kind of help it’s almost impossible for him to do. So with the Dashaway, this is the first time we found anything that would give him the support that allows him to stand much straighter and avoid a lot of the pain. Of course that makes a big difference in what kinds of activities he can do.
Charles Blount: What were you using before using the Dashaway?
Al: Well before using the Dashaway I progressed from just a normal stooped over simian type posture to a walker, just a standard type walker. … That did not really satisfy any real solution to the problem and I went to the pole thing with the advice of my physical therapist and did that. And then I progressively got to the point where I could not use the walker for long distances, neither the poles nor the walker worked for long distance usage.
Diane: Yeah. We knew at that time something had to be done. It was just impossible for him to move without some kind of help.
Charles Blount: And when you were using the standard walker and the poles you were still in a stooped position?
Al: Yeah right because you’re down at this point and your arms get very tired in the back there, the triceps.
Diane: In fact I think the walker even makes the angle worse because the tendency is to stand so far away from it so that you can brace with your arms that it makes the angle that the body takes even worse than just standing with the poles.
Diane: There’s been a fun kind of thing that I never expected. (turns to husband) I think when you first started walking with the walking sticks you were a little reluctant to be out there – a little afraid that people would think you were odd or something like that, but with the Dashaway we find people are coming up to us and they’re asking questions and suddenly he’s the big star, he’s got this new scientific apparatus and it’s a kind of a reversal from hiding away from people, to actually sot of being out there… it’s kind of like a race car driver you know, the way it’s engineered …
Al: (smiles) Well it’s not quite that fast.
Diane: Well I know but , the look of it you know. And Al is not a kind of show off person but I can see that he’s enjoying this kind of stuff when people come up and then he tells them about it, and “I’ve got this…(laughs)… it really turns the whole thing the other way around.
Charles Blount: It turns it into a more positive experience?
Diane: Exactly. He was avoiding people and kind of sneaking around and worrying what people were going to think about when they looked at him. And now he is part of this kind of new world you know, extra modern, …
Charles Blount: He’s on the cutting edge.
Diane: Yes there he is, right out there. (laughing)
Charles Blount: So Mr Belsley, how much did the Dashaway change your perception of a mobility device?
Al: It was a complete change. I had heard of spinal decompression but never thought that an exercise device would be able to achieve that type of effect.
Charles Blount: So how different do you feel in this than you would in any other device, like the one that you said you rented?
Al: Well I tried to rent a normal walker, I tried several other devices that the physical therapist recommended and also the two pole approach. This is substantially different than those particular items. Immediately when you get in the Dashaway your spine decompresses and you feel like going off , essentially almost jogging.
Charles Blount: So did the other ones hurt you or did you have pain when using them?
Al: No they didn’t hurt me but, it evolved into a hurt. Because as you leaned over the device you were straining muscles that caused soreness in the back and eventually would, in a very short period of time, would limit how far you could walk. Like with the poles I can walk maybe fifty feet and then I’ve got to lay down and stretch out on the floor and it disappears and then I’m back up, and you go through this cycle.
Charles Blount: And the Dashaway changes all that?
Al: Yes
To read a complete transcript of the interview
click here»
Al Belsley
Proud Dashaway Owner