Start
My Trackers
Start
my Nutrition
my Fitness
my Weight
Other Goals
SparkStreaks
Reports
SparkMail
my SparkPoints
Community
Community Home
Community Feed
Message Boards
SparkTeams
Challenge Central
SparkPages
Member Blogs
SparkStories
Learn
What's New
Nutrition
Fitness
Motivation
Health & Wellness
Weight Loss
Fitness Videos
Healthy Family
Pregnancy & Postpartum
Instant Inspiration
Food Database
Lifestyle Centers
The SparkPeople Blog
Challenges
SparkChallenges
Calendar Challenges
Shop
Kitchen
Food
Fitness & Apparel
Music
Recipes
Access hundreds of thousands of recipes that are healthy and easy to make. Get full nutrition info for every recipe and track with one click!
Today's Featured Recipe:
Whole Wheat Pasta with Sesame Peanut Sauce
Visit SparkRecipes.com
LIONESS822
131,416
SparkPoints
Info
Photos
Feed
Blogs
Awards
More
SparkFriends
SparkTeams
Favorites
Photos
Christmas 2015
Peppy the Chihuahua Furbaby Supreme!
See All Photos (44) ›
SparkGoodies
Clapping
From:
Chronic Illness...
Carnation
From:
Chronic Illness...
Happy Face
From:
Chronic Illness...
Give LIONESS822 a Goodie ›
See All of My Goodies ›
Awards
See All Awards ›
LIONESS822 is a SparkPeople Motivator!
Shared Fitness Tracker
Interact with LIONESS822
Add as SparkFriend
Send Private Message
Leave Comment
Recent Message
Board Posts
The Lioness Inside Me Has Been Released!
I think I am finally ready to tell my story.....My name is Lori. I am a 55 year old widow. I am an only child whose family is all deceased. I was born a month early with cerebral palsy affecting my entire right side. I was only 5lb 10oz at birth. My father used to hold me in his palm. I had numerous leg lengthening surgeries as a child and wore braces on my right leg for years. At 5 years old I had my 1st grand mal epileptic seizure (one of many). At 9 I had a seizure so bad that a piece of ...
I think I am finally ready to tell my story.....My name is Lori. I am a 55 year old widow. I am an only child whose family is all deceased. I was born a month early with cerebral palsy affecting my entire right side. I was only 5lb 10oz at birth. My father used to hold me in his palm. I had numerous leg lengthening surgeries as a child and wore braces on my right leg for years. At 5 years old I had my 1st grand mal epileptic seizure (one of many). At 9 I had a seizure so bad that a piece of brain broke away & the seizure caused my body to go into shutdown mode. My organs all shut down and my parents were told to prepare for the worst. I did recover after 90 days of a coma.
At age 17 I developed blood clots in my legs & lungs and almost died again. That was the 1st of 3 battles with the clots. In 1995 the drs finally just put me on coumadin (blood thinner) for the rest of my life. As I've gotten older the diseases have gotten worse. Morbid obesity, fibromyalgia, COPD, asthma, oxygen use, herniated disk in my neck, lymphademia, cellulitis, depression, arthritis, and neuropathy are just a few of my illnesses.
Starting at age 14 my uncle by marriage decided to introduce me to sex and proceeded to sexually abuse me until age 18. During this time I was already morbidly obese, had no dates or boyfriends and my parents got divorced. When I did start dating it was losers (alcoholics, drug addicts, emotional abusers).
When I met my husband at age 23 & married at age 24 I thought I had found the man of my dreams. That lasted for about 12 years. We were married for 17 years total & I should have left him at about year 12. He was an emotional abuser that left me with absolutely no self esteem. He told me since I was disabled I could handle life by myself. He had me convinced of that! I got fed up with his alcohol and vicodin abuse & his threatening me with a knife. When we were getting evicted for the 3rd time I finally told him I needed to feel safe & I couldn't feel safe with him. I told him I needed to live alone and then reconcile with him after he got his life & addictions clean. On May 17th 2008 he tried to overdose for the 4th time in his life. His boss and girlfriend took him to the hospital and he was admitted to a "clean up" facility. After 6 days the drs there told me he wasn't depressed or a danger to anyone including himself. I told them about the 3 times he had threatened me with our guns and they basically said all of his problems were my fault. They released him from the hospital on Sat May 24th. We were in the process of moving, I had rented a storage facility since not having anywhere to go. On May 25th, my husband of 17 years shot himself in the heart & made me watch while he did it. I watched frozen as the blood drained out of his chest and he looked at me. I truly believe that if my friend Patti had not been there he would have shot and killed me too. Needless to say, I still have nightmares.
I was moved out of my apartment by friends. Somehow they kept me out of the bathroom (where the suicide took place), & wouldn't let me look at anything. I moved into a motel room with my cockatiel Smokey until I was able to find an apartment. During my entire adult life I kept a full time accounting job.
On Aug 8th 2008 I was fired from the job I adored for bogus reasons after a fall and was immediately given disability on my first try. My body let me know that I would have never been able to keep working...it was just too hard to move anymore.
I found Herbalife during this time & started losing weight, (as long as I followed the program).
July 16, 2013, I had gastric bypass surgery at the weight of 481 pounds. I’ve lost over 200 pounds on my journey.
Now I live with my dog Peppy in an apartment. I have aids come in to assist me and we are making tweaks to my lifestyle. I no longer drink regular sodas or add sugar to my coffee for starters. As time goes on, I will be changing more things and becoming healthier everyday.
I am hoping to make a go at a new life. I want to finally lose this weight, find the man of my dreams and feel better.
Member Since:
12/29/2008
Fitness Minutes:
8,007
My Goals:
I am looking to finally be healthy & be able to do things that "skinnier" people can do! I want to be able to walk & go places without being a burden to others!
My Program:
Personal Information:
Other Information:
Read More About
LIONESS822
- Profile Information moved here.
(Updated July 20)
Page Title
Introduction Text
I think I am finally ready to tell my story.....My name is Lori. I am a 55 year old widow. I am an only child whose family is all deceased. I was born a month early with cerebral palsy affecting my entire right side. I was only 5lb 10oz at birth. My father used to hold me in his palm. I had numerous leg lengthening surgeries as a child and wore braces on my right leg for years. At 5 years old I had my 1st grand mal epileptic seizure (one of many). At 9 I had a seizure so bad that a piece of brain broke away & the seizure caused my body to go into shutdown mode. My organs all shut down and my parents were told to prepare for the worst. I did recover after 90 days of a coma. At age 17 I developed blood clots in my legs & lungs and almost died again. That was the 1st of 3 battles with the clots. In 1995 the drs finally just put me on coumadin (blood thinner) for the rest of my life. As I've gotten older the diseases have gotten worse. Morbid obesity, fibromyalgia, COPD, asthma, oxygen use, herniated disk in my neck, lymphademia, cellulitis, depression, arthritis, and neuropathy are just a few of my illnesses. Starting at age 14 my uncle by marriage decided to introduce me to sex and proceeded to sexually abuse me until age 18. During this time I was already morbidly obese, had no dates or boyfriends and my parents got divorced. When I did start dating it was losers (alcoholics, drug addicts, emotional abusers). When I met my husband at age 23 & married at age 24 I thought I had found the man of my dreams. That lasted for about 12 years. We were married for 17 years total & I should have left him at about year 12. He was an emotional abuser that left me with absolutely no self esteem. He told me since I was disabled I could handle life by myself. He had me convinced of that! I got fed up with his alcohol and vicodin abuse & his threatening me with a knife. When we were getting evicted for the 3rd time I finally told him I needed to feel safe & I couldn't feel safe with him. I told him I needed to live alone and then reconcile with him after he got his life & addictions clean. On May 17th 2008 he tried to overdose for the 4th time in his life. His boss and girlfriend took him to the hospital and he was admitted to a "clean up" facility. After 6 days the drs there told me he wasn't depressed or a danger to anyone including himself. I told them about the 3 times he had threatened me with our guns and they basically said all of his problems were my fault. They released him from the hospital on Sat May 24th. We were in the process of moving, I had rented a storage facility since not having anywhere to go. On May 25th, my husband of 17 years shot himself in the heart & made me watch while he did it. I watched frozen as the blood drained out of his chest and he looked at me. I truly believe that if my friend Patti had not been there he would have shot and killed me too. Needless to say, I still have nightmares. I was moved out of my apartment by friends. Somehow they kept me out of the bathroom (where the suicide took place), & wouldn't let me look at anything. I moved into a motel room with my cockatiel Smokey until I was able to find an apartment. During my entire adult life I kept a full time accounting job. On Aug 8th 2008 I was fired from the job I adored for bogus reasons after a fall and was immediately given disability on my first try. My body let me know that I would have never been able to keep working...it was just too hard to move anymore. I found Herbalife during this time & started losing weight, (as long as I followed the program). July 16, 2013, I had gastric bypass surgery at the weight of 481 pounds. I’ve lost over 200 pounds on my journey. Now I live with my dog Peppy in an apartment. I have aids come in to assist me and we are making tweaks to my lifestyle. I no longer drink regular sodas or add sugar to my coffee for starters. As time goes on, I will be changing more things and becoming healthier everyday. I am hoping to make a go at a new life. I want to finally lose this weight, find the man of my dreams and feel better.
Shown if member clicks "Read More"
My Goals:
I am looking to finally be healthy & be able to do things that "skinnier" people can do! I want to be able to walk & go places without being a burden to others!
My Program:
Personal Information:
Other Information:
Personal Signature:
(Shown after Message Board Posts)
Add a Link
The Lioness Within
Save Changes
Blogs
9/14/2014:
Prayers Needed Please!
9/2/2013:
My New Journey Pt 1
9/6/2012:
Portage Rally Sept 15, 2012 Time To Refocus ...
See More Blog Entries ›
SparkFriends
~INDYGIRL
PIXIE-LICIOUS
HOOSIERGIRLINDY
KATHYJO56
LLINDY65
WILDFIREKRISTIN
See All SparkFriends (224) ›
SparkTeams
Workplace Wellness Challenge
Fibro Warriors
My Ticker:
current weight: 285.0
491
412
333
254
175
Login to Leave Comment
Comments
v
Report Inappropriate Comment
My SparkPage
-WRKNG2ABTTRME-
Today's Featured Motivator!
436 days ago
v
Report Inappropriate Comment
My SparkPage
NEVERORNOW
Congrats on being Motivator of the Day!
436 days ago
v
Report Inappropriate Comment
My SparkPage
1HAPPYSPIRIT
on being selected as the Spark Motivator of the Day!!!
436 days ago
v
Report Inappropriate Comment
My SparkPage
LITTLEREDHEN8
Have a fun filled weekend!🎃🍁🎃
503 days ago
v
Report Inappropriate Comment
My SparkPage
IMAJUSKEEPMOVN
Hi, I haven't been on here in a while just wanted to see how your journey is coming along?
1096 days ago
Member Comments (1283):
1
2
3
Next >
Last >>
Report Inappropriate Page
close ×