ABOUT FIGHTING BACK
Built to Help People Keep Moving Forward.
Fighting Back began with one person who needed a way to keep moving forward — and one person who recognized that the need for support did not end when formal rehabilitation did.
Since 1989, that connection has grown into a Community of Support for people living with life-changing injuries, illnesses and disabilities — helping bridge the gap between the end of formal rehabilitation and the long road that can still lie ahead.
Discover Our Story ↓
OUR STORY
It Started With Karen.
In 1989, Karen Russell was rebuilding her life after a devastating car accident. Karen, then in her early twenties, had been working in New York City and was returning home to visit her parents when she was hit by a drunk driver, sustaining brain and spinal cord injuries.
After rehabilitation at Bryn Mawr Rehab, Karen was still looking for opportunities to continue rebuilding her strength and mobility. Insurance-supported rehabilitation had ended, but her desire, and need, to keep progressing had not.
That was when she met Scott Dillman at a local gym.
SCOTT & KAREN
Scott was about the same age as Karen when they met. Adaptive personal training was not yet an established field, and there was no clear roadmap for what came after rehabilitation for someone with Karen’s injuries. But Scott saw someone who wanted to keep working and decided to work with her.
What stayed with him most was Karen’s attitude. Despite a life-changing injury, she remained remarkably positive. She smiled, she was willing to try, and she approached the work with determination.
Scott did not begin working with Karen because he had a plan to create a nonprofit. He began because she needed an opportunity that did not really exist at the time.
The Person Behind the Beginning.
FROM ONE PERSON TO A PROGRAM
A Need Became a Mission.
What started with Karen soon revealed a much larger need.
As Scott continued working with her, other people transitioning from rehabilitation began finding their way to the gym. Rehabilitation professionals became involved, and it became increasingly clear that Karen's experience was not unique. For many people, formal rehabilitation ended while the need — and desire — to keep progressing remained.
In 1989, Fighting Back was founded to help bridge that gap, providing customized rehabilitative exercise while surrounding participants and their families with encouragement and support.
What began with one person grew into a mission to make sure others had somewhere to turn when rehabilitation ended, but their fight to move forward had not.
WHY FIGHTING BACK STILL MATTERS
Rehabilitation Has an Endpoint. Potential Does Not.
For many people, formal rehabilitation eventually ends while the work of rebuilding strength, mobility and independence continues.
Ongoing specialized training can make a meaningful difference, but that support can be out of reach for many. Without it, people may be left with fewer opportunities to continue the progress they worked so hard to achieve.
Fighting Back helps connect those two sides, giving people the opportunity to keep building strength, confidence and independence long after formal rehabilitation has ended.
COURAGE • DESIRE • PERSEVERANCE
In 1991, Karen Russell became the first recipient of Fighting Back’s Annual Achievement Night award, beginning a tradition that continues today.
The award recognized the qualities Karen had demonstrated from the very beginning: the courage to face extraordinary challenges, the desire to keep improving, and the perseverance to continue moving forward.
Those three words became more than the language of an award. They became part of Fighting Back’s identity and continue to reflect the spirit of the people the organization serves.
A Tradition Born From the Same Story.
THEN AND NOW
One Idea Became a Community.
More than three decades after Fighting Back began with Karen and Scott, the mission continues through scholarship-funded adaptive fitness and specialized training for people living with life-changing injuries, illnesses and disabilities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
Each program is individualized, but no one is expected to navigate the journey alone. Participants become part of a larger Community of Support — surrounded by trainers, families, caregivers, volunteers and supporters who understand that progress looks different for everyone.
The organization has grown, but the idea at its heart remains remarkably simple:
WHAT GUIDES US
How We Show Up for Our Community.
PEOPLE BEHIND THE MISSION
The People Who Keep Fighting Back Moving Forward.
Fighting Back is guided by people committed to protecting its mission, strengthening its programs and ensuring that participants continue to have a place to belong, progress and grow.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
There Is a Place for You Here.
Whether you are looking for support or looking for support for someone else, Fighting Back welcomes you into a community built around strength, possibility and connection.