Strength, Determination and Support – Debra Anderson, triathlete A little more than two years ago, Debra Anderson would have never imagined herself taking on the challenge she is about to face. She is preparing for one of the most physically, mentally and emotionally demanding experiences of her life – a triathlon. From a young age, Debra Anderson was overweight and eventually, obese. She knew she had to do something to physically save and increase the quality of her life. From as early as second grade, she always knew she was overweight. In fifth grade, Debra joined Weight Watchers and lost 35 pounds. Due to her success with this program, Weight Watchers made her a lifetime member. Although this feat was incredible at such a young age, her weight returned and seemed to stay with her. For most of her young-adulthood, Debra gained, on average, 10 pounds a year. She knew this type of weight gain was not healthy and would ultimately lead to severe health problems. In 2003, Debra was morbidly obese and knew it was time to start losing weight. Beginning in October 2003, she gave herself one year to lose weight. At first, she tried Weight Watchers accompanied by exercise. She successfully lost 30 pounds, but unfortunately gained 40 pounds a short time later. Once the weight returned again, she decided surgery was her last and only hope. As November approached, Debra needed to choose a new insurance and she wanted to make sure they covered bariatric surgery. Surgery was not an easy decision, as much thought and preparation went into this choice. Debra researched the different types of bariatric surgery and surgeons online as much as possible. She talked to her mother about the success rates of the surgery and evaluated the pros and cons. “I found my faith in God and my mother. Talking to my mother, I realized that the quality of life I would endure as a morbidly obese individual would be that of a stroke patient,” said Debra. On May 4, 2004, Debra had bariatric surgery. At the time, she weighed 308 pounds, did not have any co-morbidities (such as diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and had a body mass index (BMI) of 45. “Deciding to have surgery was not just a physical choice. I wanted the surgery because of the emotional issues involved. I was very unhappy and I needed to take the chance and have surgery,” said Debra. Debra was not sure what the future would hold for her or what the most difficult part of post-surgery would be. Many think that losing the weight is the most difficult; however, for Debra this was not the case. “Losing the weight was easy. It’s the emotional and psychological change that is difficult,” said Debra. After the surgery, besides the limited amount of food she could eat, Debra needed to adjust to many new things. She found herself accepting her new body image and learning to adjust psychologically as well. Being morbidly obese for so long, Debra experienced countless moments of discrimination. “I had to learn to let go of the discrimination and anger,” said Debra. Her job and those around her helped her through this time. Debra, a Manager of Strategic Improvement at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio, works closely with a team of 20 to build improvement throughout the hospital. “I even feel different at work. People listen to me more now, and I am much more comfortable talking in front of a crowd,” laughed Debra. All of Debra’s co-workers were there for her during and after her surgery. They provided and continue to offer an enormous amount of support. Today, Debra has lost 145 pounds and continues to lose weight. Many things give her the strength to continue this battle, such as her support group which meets once a month. The group offers a great amount of support in all areas, such as what to eat and how to handle the emotional and psychological aspects of post-surgery. In addition to the support group, Debra has also found another area where she is beginning to succeed – she is training for a triathlon. Debra has been training for an upcoming triathlon to be held on August 28 in Chicago. It consists of a .9 mile swim, 40k (24 miles) bike ride and 10k (6 miles) run. She trains six days a week, or on average 10 to 11 hours per-week. Her training consists mainly of cardio exercises. “People always come up to me and tell me they admire me for doing a triathlon. I usually respond and say, ‘it’s not hard losing the weight and doing this.’ What was hard was carrying the weight around for 20 years,” proudly said Debra. “The inspiration I have to continue to lose weight and participate in the triathlon comes from a multitude of individuals. Most importantly, the inspiration comes from my mother and father. My father died on May 16, 1999 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Before he died, he looked at me and said, ‘Debra, you need to lose the weight,’ and that is exactly what I did,” said Debra. Debra’s triathlon team, titled the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, is currently raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. Their goal is to raise $3,600 for the triathlon. For more information on Debra’s racing team and to see their progress, please visit their Web site at www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=tntsohDAnders. To view Debra Anderson's before and after pictures, |
