Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre and Gabrielle Gafford.
Andre and Gabrielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
A couple years ago my wife and I were in really bad shape. Her at 350 lbs and me over 400 we were in pain all the time. After our second child, my wife found out that her heart was not functioning properly. In fact, her heart was functioning at only 40%. Her kidney was sending to much blood to her heart and that had to be corrected.
She was also too heavy to be able to thrive with her limited heart function. They told her that she had to have kidney surgery then weight loss surgery and a couple others all in that year. Those surgeries took a major toll on her. While she was dealing with that. I was dealing with my own weight issues. I was attempting to lose weight and going about it all the wrong way. I had injured my shoulder several times. My knees, my feet, bulging discs in my back.
I was also in a walking boot for a couple of months. We had to change, we have two small kids age 4 and 8. We wanted to live a life that allowed us to go out and play with our kids and not just sit on the sofa because we were in pain. So one day we found out about this Cryo thing and we went to try it out. We walk in a beat up and hurting, we walked out feeling like new people. Nobody told us how it worked, all we knew is that it did. The next day I told my sister I would take her to lunch. So I picked her up and took her to lunch.
First, we stopped off at the cryo place. I told her to go in and get in the machine. I figured because she ran marathons she would be able to give me some honest feedback on if what I was feeling was real. She tried it and she had the same reaction. The machine was amazing so we started going every week. With the help of this incredible machine as well as a change in diet and a real trainer, I was able to lose a little over 100lbs. My wife was able to lose 150 lbs. We were able to Get Back to our Lives.
During our transformations, we realized that there were others like us that needed something to help them get over the hump. So my wife and I decided to find out how this Cryo thing works. We called and visited different manufacturers and visited every cryo facility in the city and surrounding area. I figured out who the best manufacturers were and found a location.
We had seen how other cryo facility did things and we wanted to be different. We wanted a place that was fun, where you can get relief from pain and also have fun. A family environment, a party place so that people would love to come and get the recovery they needed. From that, Replenish was born. The only party cryo in the country. On our first day open, we posted a soft opening on Facebook.
The next day we had almost 100 people show up. We figured we may have something. The experience is one of a kind. You pick your music, we dance, we sing, we heal. We talk about life, relationships, sports. We talk about Sports a lot!! Replenish quickly became the hotbed for high school, college and Pro Athletes. A lot of the Houston Texans live in the neighborhood that is near our facility. The Pearland area schools have some of the top athletes in the nation and they love Replenish.
We also have large populations of older men and women. So we have young and old. We have an athlete and non-athletes. Relationship experts, Pastors, S&M, MMA, Gay, Straight all walks of life parting under one roof. Its an amazing environment for fun, laughs and recovery. You walk out feeling better, inside and out and Getting Back to Life!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. We had issues with the source of the cold. Liquid Nitrogen. As I said on the first day we opened to almost 100 people. On the second day, we had another huge line forming. Then we ran out of Nitrogen.
We were then closed for two days waiting for the refills. We eventually resolved that issue but staffing then became the issue because we had none. My wife and I worked every day 10hrs a day in the shop and 8 more at home. We never knew how hard staffing could be. Construction was a process because we did everything ourselves, We would put cots in the back for the kids as we built the shop. After things started to flow, Houston was flooded for a week.
The last thing people were thing about was cryo when their homes were underwater. But we kept bouncing back. We staffed up with a bunch of former customers who believed in the treatment they received that they wanted to be a part of it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Replenish Cryo & Recovery – what should we know?
Cryotherapy: Reduces inflammation in your body. Speeds recovery, boosts your energy level, mood and immune system. The process also burns between 500-800 calories (Amazing for athletes but also for MS, Arthritis, and other chronic illnesses
Compression therapy: increases circulation in your limbs.
We are most proud that we are helping people live their best lives on a daily basis. (see members guide). Nobody does Cryo like #Repcryo We party and recovers at the same time.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My wife and I started this with the support of our families friends and the people of Pearland and Houston who are taking this journey with us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12155 Shadow Creek Pkwy #115 Pearland Texas
- Website: replenishcryo.com
- Phone: (832) 736-0055
- Email: info@replenishcryo.com
- Instagram: @replenishcryo
- Facebook: @replenishcryo
- Twitter: @replenishcryo
- Yelp: @replenishcryo
Image Credit:
Rohn Howard
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