I just had to tell somebody!
 

Hi,
I have been a member here for a few months, but have never really introduced myself or shared anything personal. So, here it is.

My name is Rhonda. I will be 47 in Dec. this year. I was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's Disease in 1999 at the age of 35. I have had two deep brain stimulation surgeries since that time, the first in 2004 and the second last year in August. I have 2 pacemakers embedded in my chest, connected to my brain, to help my body move correctly.

I also had a stroke last year in June, while driving. I couldn't walk or talk for almost 4 months. I truly thought that I was going to be stuck in my power wheelchair for the rest of my life.

When I started this journey I weighed 235, an all-time high for me. I now weigh 182 and I started on June 15th of this year. The main reason I am posting this now, and not when I reach my goal of 130-135 is because I ran an entire 3.1 miles today in 36 minutes. 6 minutes of that was walking. (I still can't quite run the entire way). The whole last mile I was crying and running, crying and running. I ran it on the treadmill and there were 4 other young guys running on the treadmills around me. I didn't care if they saw me crying. I couldn't believe my limbs were working for their intended purpose.

In 1999, when I was diagnosed, I was training to run a marathon. I had actually worked my way up to a 20 mile run on a Sunday afternoon. I was in pretty good physical shape. After the diagnosis, I shut down. I was depressed, angry, and so MAD! I thought I was going to die right away. I also have recently figured out that I blamed training for bringing on Parkinson's. (I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's what I truly thought). Somehow I correlated exercise with PD. I therefore swore off all exercise, and sat around and ate to make myself feel better.

When I reach my goal, I will post before and after pictures, and I will also give more details. If anyone has stayed with my story this long, I give you credit. I would just like to say that there is never an excuse big enough to not take care of yourself. There is not a big enough illness to ignore your health. Everyone has it in them to get healthy, it's just how much you really want it.

Thanks for listening.
:wave:

your story is really inspirational *hug*

congratulation on your success since you started... this is wonderful you came from far !
it really gave me some more motivation
keep us updated on your progress !

Wow, hugs for you :hug: Inspirational story like Bree has said.

INSPIRING! AMAZING! That's great on the run!! :D

I am so glad I got to read your story! You should be so proud! You are a true inspiration. Very best of luck during the rest of your journey. Thank you

wow, congrats. You are an inspiration,

WOW!!!
You are an inspiration.
I am so happy for your success :)
BTW I'm another Texas chick :)

Judy

this brought a tear to my eye.
It is people like you that get me up in the morning. those days i dont want to go for a run. i remember how lucky i am that i CAN run.

You are a truly amazing person. Your story moved me! Keep it up, Rhonda! :)

What a journey you've been on - difficult for you, but your attitude is incredibly inspirational to us. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations on your success!

Thank you so much to everyone for their lovely comments, hugs, and encouragement. I log on every night to see how everyone else is doing. It has been a wonderful experience for me. Best wishes to everyone here.

Such an inspiring story and attitude! Best of luck with your future goals. :D

Oh, you had me in tears! I'm so happy for you!!!

That is amazing--I am so proud of you!

congrats on your sucess. My dad has parkinsons. Hes still relitively young (57) and is getting the deep brain stimulation in january.
What an inspiration you are. Good luck on your journey