My story begins, like so many others, with years of yo-yo dieting.  I began my weight gain in 3rd grade, linked to a sexual molestation by a neighbor boy.  I overate from then on in order to deal with my feelings.  Back then, nobody asked "why" to weight gain; they just assumed that I was lazy and eating the wrong foods.  My life of dieting commenced. 

I was raised by a physician father who struggled with his own weight issues so he was bound and determined to make his children thin.  Sadly, this was beyond his control but for years, he kept trying to control my weight any way possible.  I remember years of put-downs, rigorous exercises, strict diets, fasts, and unbelievable self-esteem issues.  Looking back now, I can't believe how "normal" my weight was and how athletic and healthy I was despite this entire negative environment. 

I proceeded to prove to Dad that I was fat and ballooned to 280 pounds!  My entire adult life was consumed with the next diet, learning how not to diet and feeling depressed and unlovable.  I continued to be active through all my ups and downs on the weight loss roller coaster but never felt "good" about my accomplishments.  The glass was always half-empty to me; I was never good enough or thin enough.

In 1992, I married a wonderful but thin man, who loved me literally through thick and thin!  We met when I was an active 220 pounds and during our marriage, I blossomed to 280 pounds again. 

But, my body just had enough and I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1997.  I was devastated.  As a nurse, I knew what that meant.  I started seeing many doctors and in addition to the diabetes was diagnosed with sleep apnea, acid reflux disease, and adult onset asthma.  I was on a ton of medications and frankly, I was just plain miserable.  Although I had a young son, I could not get pregnant again. Depression reared its ugly head daily. 

I started researching obesity surgery in 1999 and attempted to get my insurance to pay for it for over 2 years.  Despite meeting all the physical qualifications, there was that old exclusion in my health insurance contract that prevented me from getting my surgery paid for.  Lucky for me, I had a very supportive internal medicine doctor who encouraged me to find the money, somehow, somewhere, in order to get my health back.  My husband and I sold everything we could and I cashed in all my retirement accounts to raise most of the money.  My life was worth it!

Now, 16 months later, I have shed 115 pounds!  I have just finished 2 marathons - that's 26.2 miles each and feel better than I have in years.  I am off all my medications and am no longer considered diabetic.  People are astonished at the change in me and my attitude.  I am back to floor nursing and I take care of bariatric patients at the local hospital.  I continue to run and lift weights to firm up as much of me as possible.  I am excited about life.  I can celebrate my accomplishments now and feel proud of who I am and what I have done. 

My next goal is to have plastic surgery to remove the loose skin around my abdomen and waist as it does get in the way of the running.  Raising the additional money will be a challenge but a worthy one. 

I don't know what life has in store for me but it is with great enthusiasm that I meet each day.  I thank God for all the support from friends and family.  I thank God for surgeons who perform these miracles and provide us with the tools to improve our health. 

Sincerely,
Becky Creswell
-115

Congratulations Becky!!