UToledo Health Rehab Helps 84-Year-Old Qualify for National Senior Games

UToledo Health Rehab Helps 84-Year-Old Qualify for National Senior Games

Just a few years ago, Ab Khan's health was deteriorating fast. After losing his wife in 2019, the 84-year-old's health rapidly declined as he lost more than 30 pounds, relied on a walker to get around and suffered from frequent falls.

"My feet were hanging in my grave; that's where I was. And she pulled me right out and pushed me," Khan said. "I got a second chance now, really."

Fast forward to this summer, Khan is now celebrating a gold medal from the Ohio Senior Olympics.

After rebuilding his strength through UToledo Health's Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic, Khan recently earned a gold medal in power walking at the Ohio Senior Olympics qualifying event, securing a spot in next year's National Senior Games.

"It's a miracle really," Khan said. "I would say anyone in older age, if they have the proper environment, they make an effort on their own and somebody is there for encouragement, they can do it."

Khan credits his daughter, Zeba, for helping him begin his recovery. After his primary care physician reached out to her with concerns about his declining health, she encouraged him to begin exercising at the YMCA before connecting him with UToledo Health's Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic.

There, respiratory therapist Heather Mawhorter met Khan where he was, beginning with a six-minute walk before gradually progressing to faster-paced walks, strength training and time on an exercise bike.

Mawhorter said many patients are hesitant to begin pulmonary rehabilitation because they already struggle with shortness of breath.

"I think that a lot of people are afraid to come to pulmonary rehab because they're short of breath already and we are asking them to exercise, and no one really wants to do something that's really going to make them feel worse," Mawhorter said.

Instead, patients work with a multidisciplinary team of respiratory therapists, nurses and exercise physiologists who tailor each program to an individual's abilities and gradually build strength and endurance.

"So, if you come up here in a wheelchair and you can't do very much, that's OK," Mawhorter said. "We're going to build you up. We're going to meet you where you're at and we're going to challenge you to be better at a slow pace."

Mawhorter said Khan arrived at pulmonary rehabilitation with more significant physical challenges than many patients, but his determination, family support and commitment to exercising at home fueled remarkable progress. Eventually, Khan worked his way up to riding 30 miles in a single session on his home exercise bike, logging more than 2,200 miles in 2025 alone.

The former college track and field athlete had not competed in decades. Today, he is once again training for a competition on the national stage, proving it is never too late to reclaim both health and purpose.

"It's a miracle," Khan said. "It's a second life that I got and I'm very thankful for that."