February 23, 2017
The 'Live It' List


Dr. Laura:

Six years ago, I was given only months to live, due to complications from extreme morbid obesity.  I am the perfect example of what childhood obesity actually turns into, and sadly, that left me as a 600 pound man in my twenties who couldn't leave his home.  I had uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and cirrhosis of the liver.  I was tired and ready to die, but when I was planning my funeral, I realized I was going to die before I had lived and it tormented me.  

So I made a "Live It" list - kind of like a bucket list, but it was stuff I wanted to live for.  Then and there I decided to fight, and over the course of two years, I lost 420 pounds, and went from a size 70 to a size 32.  My life turned completely around, and I was finally free to live how I wanted.

Change can be hard, so while my outside changed fast, my inside wasn't able to keep up, and I still struggled with my self-worth.  Then I turned on you program at exactly the right time.  You told a caller that they had more to be proud of than you did, because they had to dig themselves out of that hole that you didn't have to.  Wow.  So now when I think about the years I've lost and the time I've wasted, I remind myself of the hole I came out of and give myself permission to be proud.

Thank you for helping me to see myself from a new perspective.  It seems like that was the missing piece I needed.

Joshua


Posted by Staff at 10:59 AM