wannabefree
Hi my name is Jessica. I guess my story starts at birth, I was the first of five children. My mother over fed me as an infant, so she said. She was mixing my formula twice what it should have been. By the time I was 1 year old I weighed in at 28#. As I grew, 4 more siblings arrived, I was tormented by all, except my parents that I was fat. I guess I took comfort by eating, not sure, just had to deal with them. They were all on the skinny side.
When I turned 18 and graduated from high school, I entered college for 1 year. Couldn't take any more of college and dorm life. But, I did maintain my weight, cant remember how much, but that was a long time ago. When I got back home, I received the same treatment from my brothers and one sister, the other sister was fairly nice. I couldn't take anymore abuse so I left home. I went to the city and lived in a room in my grandmothers house. I got myself a fairly good job working in a large bank in the mortgage department. After being at the bank, I met my husband, we were engaged a month after first date and married 4 months later. We have been married now for 37 years, so I guess you would call him my true soul mate.
After, we were engaged my husbands family wanted me to move in with them. They were very nice to me and his sister looked at me like an older sister. But, his father loved to cook, everything had to be cooked in grease. Weight starting coming on. Before we got married I went to his mothers doctor who put me on a strict diet, and shots. The weight came off real fast. At least I could wear the wedding dress I wanted, they even had to make some tucks in it.
We were married in January 1970, worse snow storm of the year. We moved into my grandmothers old house, she had since passed sometime before, from a heart attack.
After we were married a couple of years, we wanted to start a family. But, it was not in Gods plan. Instead, we adopted a 4 year old child with Down Syndrome. He was the joy of our life. My parents, didnt say much, but my husbands parents loved him very much. In those days, to adopt a child with handicaps was pretty much a no no. They were hidden away.
A couple of years later we moved away, my father did help us get a house. We moved to a small farming community where everybody knew your business. I didn't care for it much, buy my husbands job took him there.
In 1976, I had to have a hysterectomy, because a fibroid tumor. Things really changed then, my husband lost his job, because he took off the day of my surgery, oh well, I say. After my surgery, we moved to Saginaw, Michigan where my brother wanted me to work for him in his adult foster care home. My husband went to work for a truck dealer. I guess that is when we started really getting into adopting special needs children. We adopted a baby girl at the age of 3mos., she also had Down Syndrome. Her brother dearly loved her. After the baby we adopted 2 more boys, they were quite a handfull. When our daughter was 2 yrs. old, we found out that she needed open-heart surgery. She did not make it, she passed away after about a week. She was the joy of my life, and gave me something to look forward to everyday. The weight really started coming on, and I couldn't get rid of it, didn't really care.
So now, we were down to 3 boys. Our social worker called me one day in March of 1985, said he had a baby girl that was a failure to thrive, and mentally handicap. We, jumped at the chance and went to see her, she babbled on so (still hasnt shut up) but we knew she had a chance. I got her home on my birthday that month, what a present she was. She is an angel, sent from heaven. Well, she thrived, she was placed on growth hormone for 13 yrs. I fought doctors tooth and nail for her, and I am glad I did. She is legally blind though, with no depth perception nor per. vision. You wouldn't know it by looking at her. She is highly intelligent, has gone to college and carried a 3.5 to 4 pt. average. She wants to become an advocate for children who are disabled. Because she has been there, and knows what they are going through. We give her alot of credit for coming so far, we support her all the way.
We had to eventually give up the other two boys, because they were a little more then I could handle, but they were put into good homes. I think about them frequently, but I know God is watching out for them.
When our daughter was 5 we moved again, out in the country. My husband took on a second job, being a cashier for a very large restaurant. We ended up taking my mother in, because she had alzheimers, and we adopted another boy from California. He is severely autistic, with multiple behavior problems, but he was related to my brother by marriage. He asked for our help. Since then, he has treated me like trash, completely ingnores whole family. My mother ended up in a condo in that community, where we had help for her. She always wanted to live in that town, she got her wish. God Love Her.
In 2001, we moved to another farming community, and bought a horse farm. My daughter is into horses, and shows. Soon after we moved, I was placed in the hospital for pneumonia, and placed into a coma for 2 wks. My family almost lost me, they gave me 24 hrs. to live. I guess I am a fighter, because I came home. Had to crawl around for a couple of days, but I got up, and made it. I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I am now on insulin 4 times a day. Forgot to mention, my husband was now working at the bank where we first met, he had been there for 24 yrs. So, we thought we were pretty set.
The same year I had pneumonia, our oldest son who was 34 then came down with pneumonia, the same thing I had. This was in the beginning of December. He never came out of it though, and he passed 4 days later. Things were not going our way the next year my mother died and my husband was forced to take an early retirement after being there for 25 years. What a bummer.
By Christmas of 2004, I again became very sick. I had an attact of diverticulitis, had to be taken to emergency. Ended up having 18 inches of my colon taken out because all blood flow had ceased. Ended, up in ICU with a colostomy. Boy, that was a pain, hated it. Thank God it was reversed in the following April. In February of 2005, had to go to emergency again. This time I had a blockage. Had major hernia repaired with mesh the next April.
Here it is 2007, need surgery again. This time for WLS. After a certain amount of weight is taken off, I will need more hernia surgery. Can't do yet, because to much scar tissue and whole abdominal area needs to be repaired. Also, in June of 2007, I found out I had advanced hydronephrosis of the left kidney with mild hydronephrosis of the right. I have alot of pain with the hernias and the kidney, I can only hope things will get better.
My husband listens to a radio station everyday, a woman they have on all the time had WLS a couple of years ago. I called her, and she told me about your web site. I can even call her for moral support anytime. I want to thank everyone, for helping me, to get through this very scary part of my life. With Gods help and yours I know I will be a different person. Its just taking one day at a time, with a little crying in between.
