At 97 years old, Mike Danzinger could not walk on his own. But Mike is a fighter.
He’s also a survivor. Growing up in the Warsaw ghetto in Poland, he lost his entire family at Treblinka Concentration Camp during the Holocaust.
“I’m from a family of eight, six brothers and two sisters. None of them left. I escaped from Warsaw when I was 17… only to be captured, and I wound up in Russia,” said Danzinger.
After the war, he came to the U.S. and got married to his lovely wife Sarah. Sixty-seven years later, they count their blessings — with five daughters, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
“An illness last year left him very weak. He was in a wheelchair, and it was difficult, really difficult,” according to his wife Sarah.
He recently received an invitation to his granddaughter’s wedding in Chicago. It was at this point, Mike realized it was time to get help, so he could dance at the wedding.
His strength suffered, but his spirit was strong… and he started working with physical therapist Alex Matz, at FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers in Miami Beach.
From July to December, three days a week, Mike worked very hard on strength and balance.
“We all knew exactly what our goal was. Every single day, the reason he came here. He never missed a session,” said Alex Matz, Mike’s physical therapist.
“Alex promised me I’d be ready for the wedding and I will dance, and I said, ‘We’ll see!'”
When the big day came, the months of therapy paid off. Mike said, “I was dancing with my wife. Whoever wanted, they all wanted to dance with me!”
And, with his newfound strength, Mike stood strong and also sang blessings to the newlyweds. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
After the wedding, Mike didn’t stop his therapy with another granddaughter’s wedding just a few weeks away and Mike wants to be sure he can cut the rug with his family once again!
“He has a fan club. It’s so easy to fall in love with him,” says physical therapist Matz.
Mike says he’ll continue doing therapy, not just for his next family wedding, but because it makes him feel good.
This is one of a million successful outcome miracles physical therapists around the country are making happen every day!
