For the first time in years, Sharon Marchioli is walking down stairs. And she's wearing heels, tapping her right foot, standing up straight – things she thought she had lost to multiple sclerosis.

"I am having fun," the 61-year-old said. "I am just like a liberated woman right now, totally liberated."

She says her savior has been Frisco Pilates trainer Rebecca Swieczkowski, whose patience and compassion have given her back her life.

But Swieczkowski, a former professional ballerina, calls Marchioli the inspiration. Her small business has struggled in this economy. But when Marchioli arrives each week, energized and game to try anything, those worries melt away.

Together, these two women have forged a friendship that transcends their twice-a-week workouts.

Swieczkowski says, "We're both survivors."

It has been more than 30 years since Marchioli first noticed the effects of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system. Its symptoms and severity vary with each person. There is no cure.

Marchioli's MS was in remission last May, and she'd come out on the winning end of a bout with breast cancer. She wanted to tone up, so she called Swieczkowski at Get Reformed Pilates in Frisco.

Marchioli didn't make a big deal of her disease. And Swieczkowski didn't dwell on it because she's worked with others who have it.

But when Marchioli shuffled into the studio with her walker, bent over and dragging her foot, Swieczkowski had doubts about being able to help. Marchioli's can-do attitude pushed her to forge ahead.

In the beginning, Swieczkowski did a lot of the work, moving Marchioli's legs and supporting her body.

Marchioli tired quickly, so the two would often take long breaks between exercises. They spent that time getting to know each other.

Swieczkowski, 57, had danced professionally for the Dallas Ballet and performed in Europe. She shifted to teaching dance and then fitness.

When she lost her health club job during a company buyout, she decided to open her own studio. It hadn't been easy.

"It's not like everything that happens to you is good, but there's got to be some purpose to this," she said. "That's been my philosophy for helping people."

Pilates, which focuses on building core muscles, is "the base operating system for your body," Swieczkowski said. Its 600-plus exercises benefit beginners and elite athletes alike.

It's also well-suited for people rehabilitating after an injury. Swieczkowski speaks from experience. She had hip replacement surgery in 2006 to repair an old injury. After three weeks of Pilates, she was back to teaching full-time.

Exercise is good for everybody, but it's especially beneficial to people with multiple sclerosis, said Kristen Stubbs with the Lone Star chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stubbs can attest to the transformations she's seen through the society's wellness programs. "It's incredible what they get out of these sessions," she said.

Marchioli's strength and endurance were building with each week of Pilates. But the differences were so subtle she didn't notice them immediately.

One day she discovered she could touch her toes. And she could get up off the floor without struggling.

She and her husband always wanted a sports car, but Marchioli refused to buy one because she couldn't get into the low seats. In November, the couple bought a convertible.

In December, she spent three days skiing in Colorado with the help of an adaptive skiing program.

Chats during workouts have gotten shorter as Marchioli's stamina has grown. But the support – physical and emotional – is still there. At a recent session, Marchioli shares another first – rolling up unassisted. Swieczkowski talks about the recent grand re-opening event in her new studio.

Swieczkowski describes her work with Marchioli as "a beautiful unwrapping," much like their friendship.

Marchioli's goal is to set her walker aside some day. Until then, she basks in each step forward.

As a visitor leaves her office in Frisco, Marchioli smiles and says, "I'll walk you out, because I can."