Daisy McCollum - “I am a 53-year-old woman. My job provided a personal trainer for the General Motors Corporate Fitness Center that was on the premises, and Michael Steward was hired for that position. I had lost about 60 pounds over a two-year period, but I needed to lose 40 more pounds. I had reached a plateau, and I really needed to tone the new body that I was getting. Another factor was that my daughter was getting married, and I wanted to look nice and fit in the formal wear that she had picked for me to wear. Michael went to work teaching me how to lose the additional weight and he worked with me to tone my muscles. Yes, I did lose the weight and it was a happy ending. I looked great in my dress! I know that I lost the weight, but Michael was such a positive inspiration for me. He has a talent of balancing his professionalism with a friendly personality and a genuine concern for his client’s safety and physical health. Michael has great knowledge of physical training and always alternates exercises to change up the workout. I can honestly say that I use the knowledge that he taught me in my exercise program every day. Michael helped other people at the G.M. Fitness Center, too. They ranged in age and physical ability, but he was always able to find a program that fit their abilities and expectations. I am very privileged to have met Michael Steward.”

Mr. & Mrs. Marston - “My husband Tom Marston and I have known Michael Steward for several years. It has been an extraordinary experience. Tom has had Parkinson’s disease for approximately seventeen years, which is the reason we came to know Michael. When we first met, Michael informed us that he didn’t know a whole lot about Parkinson’s, but before our first appointment he had spent the entire weekend online trying to find out as much as he could about the disease. That said a whole lot to both of us. And so began our long connection with this fine, highly-capable and caring young man. The relationship between Tom, Michael, and me has become one of trust and continued ongoing respect for one another. Michael constantly observes Tom’s physical condition, his strengths and weaknesses, and he adjusts the exercise regime of the day to fit Tom’s specific needs. Through all of Tom’s sessions Michael has always treated him with great kindness, respect, and a quiet sense of humor. He somehow elicits the very best effort that Tom can muster—effort that Tom will make for only Michael, not anyone else. For example, if Michael is telling you to stand up straight and look like you’re having your football picture taken, who could refuse him? Not Tom! As the disease has progressed, Michael has also offered to help me get Tom out of the car and into his wheelchair and reverse the process when the workout is over. We couldn’t be making this happen without him. He goes the extra mile. He cares about the people he works with; he cares about us. So here is Michael, with all the technique and training that he possesses, plus that special extra gift. He has heart!”

Ty Williams - “Michael Steward has been my personal trainer at the Harris YMCA of Greater Charlotte for the past 7 years. I am a paraplegic—I was in a car accident that left me paralyzed, and I am an amputee from both knees down. I came to the Harris YMCA and Michael took the challenge to help me get some strength back. Michael has created and updated my workouts for years and I look forward to going to the Harris YMCA. I do a lot of cable exercises for my strength, and for cardiovascular I am able to maneuver my wheelchair into a machine called a UBE-Upper Body Ergometer. The training does not apply to the Harris YMCA. Michael has also helped me train at my home—he helps me with my prosthesis and puts me in a device called a standing frame. This device helps me to stand up, and I am able to do upper body exercises with hand weights. Being confined to a wheel chair limits the needed circulation in my lower body, so standing in the specialized standing frame helps my body a lot; and, even though it may be a few hours, standing does me wonders. Michael pushes me with each workout, and I enjoy each session with him.”