Five years ago, Carl Neff was on his way to becoming a pilot, a career goal he set while a teenager at Punahou School. In the meantime, he fixed boats, raced his 20-foot Nacra catamaran and windsurfed. Until he suffered a stroke — at age 39.

"I had a little vision problem, but I didn't know why," said Neff, 44, of Kailua. "The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital."

Neff couldn't walk or move his right arm. His speech was slurred and his vision remained double. He spent six months in rehab before finding out about the Kalakaua 'Ohana Club, a program at the Kalakaua Gym in Kalihi for stroke victims that focuses on physical therapy.

The club was started in 1985 by longtime boxing coach Peter Jhun, who suffered a stroke 26 years ago. He found that exercise — and getting out of the house — helped him improve both physically and mentally.

"When I exercised, I got well," said Jhun, 80, massaging the limp hand of Maxine Horton, who had a stroke 12 years ago. "People come out here to exercise and talk to people. I found that's therapy in itself."

There are handfuls of support groups for stroke survivors in Hawai'i, but there is nothing quite like the Kalakaua 'Ohana Club, which has about 180 members. The program — really more like a community — is unique for its unstructured, casual format that combines fellowship with fitness and serves stroke victims and their families together, all for a low cost.

Three times a week, for four hours in the morning, the gym is open to stroke survivors and their families. One half of the gym is full of mismatched gym equipment donated or bought at thrift stores. There are recumbent bikes, treadmills and weight machines.

The other half is open to people who want to work on their walking, using canes or walkers or nothing at all.

Members pay $12 a year to be part of the club. The money is spent on the coffee and tea that are served every morning — most members bring food to share — and monthly birthday parties.

Many of the stroke survivors come as much for the social interaction as the workout.

Horton, 83, of Hawai'i Kai, has been coming to Kalakaua Gym since she had a stroke 12 years ago that left her partially paralyzed on her left side.

She prefers using the recumbent bike and chatting with other members to sitting at home watching TV.

"I have to come for exercise because if I don't, my leg gets stiff," Horton said. "I feel better when I come here."

June Alves, 74 of Aliamanu, used to bring her husband to the gym to supplement his physical therapy after he suffered a stroke. He died three years ago. But it was the camaraderie he felt here that helped him improve, she said, and it's the reason she comes back to volunteer.

"Honestly, this was the best thing for him," said Alves, who teaches a breathing and stretching class. "Everybody is in the same situation. They react to the fact that there are other people with disabilities similar to theirs, and that makes them feel comfortable."

Rehabilitation is an important component of stroke recovery, and it often includes physical, speech and occupational therapy. The goal is to help stroke survivors return to independent living.

While therapy can't reverse the effects of a stroke, it can build strength and capability, which boost self-confidence.

"A lot of their self-confidence is gone, their independence is gone, their self-worth has decreased," said Catherine Church, a therapeutic recreation specialist and stroke club coordinator at Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. "We want to help them improve their independence."

Jhun admitted he had the "sorry-for-yourself" syndrome after his stroke. Though he was physically fit, he had high blood pressure and didn't take his medications properly, which may have led to the stroke.

"I was a terrible guy to live with," Jhun said, laughing. "I kept asking, 'Why me?' "

Neff felt that way, too, having to give up his hobbies and dream of becoming a pilot.

But now he's got other hobbies — riding a three-wheel bike and trading stocks online — that keep him busy and optimistic.

Though he sold his two planes, he still owns the catamaran, which he takes out — with friends, of course — about six times a year.

"This has been good," Neff said about the club. "I'm able to talk a lot better than before and it gets me out of the house."

His new goal: "Not to get another stroke," he said, smiling. "No more."