Hey people, how's it going? Me? I'm feeling kinda' out of sorts today... the
truth is, my niece died last night. She was my niece but was actually
only a year younger than me, which means she was only 29 years old.
Hadn't even made it to 30 yet... left behind are her husband and two kids, a
daughter who was around 5 or 6 years old and son who was only 4 months... he'll never even know her. And how does this relate to fitness or health?
She died from complications from a
gastric bypass surgery she had done around 4 years ago. Crazy, huh? She
had always been overweight for as long as I can remember, even when we
were kids, and of course, as most overweight kids do, she gained more
and more weight over the years, but to be honest, I don't think her
weight was ever to the point where she couldn't afford to take the time
to try losing weight the natural way (through diet and exercise) instead
of going for the gastric bypass.
Gastric bypasses, lap bands... all these
surgical, man made ways of helping us deal with obesity, they just
aren't the answer. If you're thinking about it, I'm pleading with you, don't do it! It's not worth the risks! And it's not necessary. I've seen
stories of people who have weighed over 500 pounds and now weigh a
normal weight, all done through diet and exercise. It may have taken
them longer, but THERE IS NO QUICK FIX. Unless you are so obese that
time is now a factor and it's actually more dangerous for you to wait
and try to lose the weight naturally than to get a bypass surgery done, PLEASE DON'T OPT FOR WEIGHT LOSS
SURGERIES!
Now I know what some of you may be questoning... did my niece take care
of herself after the surgery? Was she eating healthy? Exercising? The answer to all of those questions would be YES.
She was exercising, had started eating healthy, and had even
influenced some of her family to do the same. But due to complications
with her bypass surgery, her insides had started dying without her even
knowing it. The doctors say it's a miracle that her baby wasn't harmed
because this had actually started happening in her body while she was
pregnant the second time with her baby who is now 4 months old!
I know that when it's your time, it's your time, and I gotta' believe
this is all in God's plan. As a Christian, I do believe there's a reason
for everything and my own personal belief is that even if a situation occurs
that was not in God's original plan for you, He'll
never let anything
be in vain, a lesson can always be learned.
I'm hoping that by telling you
all this story that a lesson will be revealed, and that lesson would be to
TAKE CARE OF
YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY NOW! Don't wait until it's too late or comes to
a point where gastric bypass surgery (or any other weight loss surgery)
is even a consideration! Eat healthy, exercise!
Prevent obesity BEFORE it happens. We only have 1 body, 1 life!
My niece was only 29 years old! That's a life gone too soon! She left behind a husband
and 2 kids! None of this is her fault but a part of me feels like it all
could have been prevented.
My niece's story, and the stories of countless others like her, are prime examples of why I'm so
passionate about promoting fitness and healthy living! I hope if you are
someone out there reading this that is thinking about getting gastric
bypass surgery that this will change your mind. Sometimes TV and the rest of the media make these type of surgeries out to be no big deal but they really
are life risking surgeries. And it doesn't have to happen right away! Everyone thought my niece was fine, but 4 years later,
she died. I don't mean to scare anyone who truly needs a weight loss surgery, but if all possible,
DO IT NATURALLY.
UPDATE!!! Apparently there was a mix up in communication - my niece and her family live in California so our family is hearing all of this all second hand. MY NIECE IS ALIVE! She is still having some MAJOR complications due to her old bypass surgery, the doctors had to take ALL of her intestines out! Apparently you can do a bowl transplant surgery which if she pulls through (she's barely conscious), the doctors will have to perform! THANK GOD! Please pray that she makes it through! Thanks! :)
