Karl Burros was the neighborhood guy everybody turned to for a quick fix. Garbage disposal malfunction? Dishwasher woes? Sprinkler-head dilemma?

Burros, a retired telephone and communications technician who lives in Chula Vista, was always there to extend a helping hand. Until he needed one of his own.

First came a heart attack in January 2002. A mini-stroke followed two weeks latter, and a massive stroke five days after that. With the left side of his body rendered useless by paralysis, he required help getting in and out of a wheelchair.

"His center of gravity was in the middle of the right side of his body," said his wife Ruth. "His brain couldn't recognize the left side."

And he could neither sit up straight nor lift any weight.

Believing he could only go so far with conventional physical therapy, burros, 69, consulted Tyler Merrill, a personal trainer with a degree in exercise physiology and additional training in rehabilitation lumbar and cervical spine dysfunction.

Within two years of working with Merrill, Burros was able to get out of his wheelchair, stand up and take a few steps on his own. He uses his right arm for cable and dumbbell exercises and he can step onto a small platform.

"The goal for him is functional strengthening," said Merrill, whose resume includes supervising a wellness center operated by the UCSD Department of Orthopedics. He guides Burros through twice-weekly workouts at Addie's Studio One on One in Pacific Beach. "I want him to be able to perform tasks relative to active daily living."

Like getting into his car from his wheelchair.

"Karl does 99 percent of the work now, which was a huge improvement," said his wife, who is also his primary caregiver. "My Christmas present was seeing him stand up by himself, without leaning on anything."

COMING ON STRONG: Burros' first workout of the week targets the upper body after a five-minute warmup on the recumbent bicycle. He'll do one set of cable rows, one set of cable biceps curls, and one set of cable pull-downs -- each one 15 reps, each one using his good right arm. He can now pull more than 80 pounds on a cable machine and lift a 20 pound dumbbell over his head.

FINISHING TOUCH: On a stretching table, Merrill does hands-on PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) work for Burros' postural muscles. Basically, it's a type of flexibility training combining muscle contraction and relaxation, with passive and partner-assisted stretching. The next step is balance work, with a goal of standing independently.

GETTING DOWN: On his second workout, the emphasis is the lower body. For coordination and strengthening, Burros mimics standing up and sitting down in a chair. Then he'll move to the stretching table, where Merrill will manually stretch Burros' legs. This progresses to active stretching, with Burros pushing against the trainer's resistance.

HITTING THE ROAD: With increased independence, Burros feels comfortable enough to take extended vacations with his wife, including a recent two-week Caribbean cruise.