Good Day Atlanta viewer information: September 21, 2021
Runner plans marathon fundraiser for Atlanta's Shepherd Center
When a scooter accident left Joseph Lopez with a traumatic brain injury he was sent to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center for his recovery. Now, he's planning to run the first-ever Boulder Marathon in October and has created a GoFundMe page in order to turn the experience into a fundraiser for Shepherd Center.
ATLANTA - Runner plans marathon fundraiser for Shepherd Center:
When it comes to beating the odds, Joseph Lopez is something of an expert.
"The first prognosis I had was I wasn’t going to wake up. I had 0% chance to wake up," says the University of Florida graduate and current Colorado resident. "They told me that I would never walk again."
Back in 2012, a scooter accident left Lopez with a traumatic brain injury; after an 18-day coma, he was sent to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center.
"I had different speech, physical, and occupational therapies for the three months that I was there," Lopez recalls.
He was also wheeled out with other patients to watch the annual Peachtree Road Race that July, an experience which Lopez says completely changed his mindset about rehabilitation.
"At that time I was kind of in a negative headspace, and I was pretty down on myself and down on the fact that I couldn’t walk," he says. "But that race, that day, and seeing former patients come by and shake my hand, it provided me with a little bit of hope. That little bit of belief that I could make it there one day."
And he did. Lopez ran the Peachtree Road Race in 2015 and 2016; during his second year running, Good Day Atlanta interviewed his mother, Gina.
"It’s a miracle," his mom told us then. "Prayers, prayers, prayers. And this place, it’s full of angels. You see the angels just fly around here. It’s a miracle place. Shepherd saved his life."
Now, Joseph Lopez is training for an even longer race. He’s planning to run the first-ever Boulder Marathon — called Boulderthon — in October and has created a GoFundMe page in order to turn the experience into a fundraiser for Shepherd Center.
"The day that I graduated Shepherd Center, that day that I completed my therapy, my mom walked around to every therapist and every volunteer and every doctor and said, ‘He’s going to come back someday. He’s going to come back and he’s going to give back to this hospital in a big way.’ And I’ve always remembered those words. ‘Giving back to the hospital in a big way.’"
If you’d like to help Joseph Lopez reach his goal of $20,000 for Shepherd Center, click over to the GoFundMe page here.
Former boxing pro opens new East Point fitness studio:
The last time we visited Jai Davis on Good Day Atlanta, the former professional boxer was helping us work up a sweat at her BoxFit Fitness & Performance Studio.
Two years later, she’s opened a brand-new studio space in East Point … and we’re still in need of burning a few extra calories!
We spent the morning at the new BoxFit Fitness & Performance Studio in East Point, which celebrated its grand opening late last month.
"[Boxing is] a fun way to enjoy fitness, and the whole family can be involved," says Davis, who also had a long career as a firefighter and paramedic here in metro Atlanta.
Along with helping her adult clients at BoxFit, Davis is also the founder of JaiFit Academy, a 90-day fitness camp for kids; the boxer says JaiFit Academy is her chance to give back to the community while also knocking out the obesity epidemic.
"I wanted to do it because they took fitness out of the school system, and never like before have we had a problem with obesity with children and diabetes," Davis told FOX 5's Paul Milliken in 2019.
Now that the new BoxFit Fitness & Performance Studio is open at 3492 Washington Road, Suite 700, in East Point, we figured it was a good time to brush up on our jabs, punches, and footwork. For more information on BoxFit and JaiFit Academy, click here — and click the video player to check out our morning in the ring!
Alexis Louder talks latest film "Copshop":
Alexis Louder ("Watchmen") stars opposite Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo in the Joe Carnahan-directed action thriller "Copshop." The movie was filmed in Georgia. The plot centers on a small-town police station that becomes the unlikely battleground between a professional hitman (Butler), a smart rookie female cop (Louder), and a double-crossing con man (Grillo) who seeks refuge behind bars with no place left to run. "Copshop" is in theatres right now. Watch the trailer here.
Personal finance expert Christy Wright talks hiring in-home childcare
Hiring a nanny isn't just an option for the rich and famous anymore. Author and personal finance expert Christy Wright Wright says it may be time to consider hiring outside help and offers tips on what you need to know before making the big step.
Is it time to get a nanny?:
Taking care of your family is already a full-time job, add to that a full-time job "outside" of the home and a lot of us find ourselves juggling on a tight rope trying really hard not to slip and fall off. Life coach and personal finance expert Christy Wright says it may be time to consider hiring outside help. She's the author of " Take Back Your Time: The Guilt-Free Guide to Life Balance" and joins us to talk about the options. For more information on Christy Wright click here.
Ally Lynn gives the latest entertainment news: Atlanta rapper Gunna went above and beyond for his former middle school. The hip-hop star helped fill Ronald E. McNair Middle School with groceries, hygiene products, swag and more, to help out students at the school.
Pet of the day from FurKids Animal Rescue: For more information on how to adopt today's pet of the day click here.