LogFAQs > #965405140

My brother has had a very hard time. Mental illness runs rampant in my family, and each of us 3 siblings have different issues we have worked through.

At age 19, he was 550 pounds. Im not going to have conversations about blame placed on my parents - its there, sure, but they tried their best and at a certain point there is so much they can do when a teenaged child simply ignores/actively goes against all the help they try to extend. That topic has been discussed and dealt with by us plenty.

He dropped out of high school, got a GED, started college/training programs however many times and always dropped out. Never held to any jobs. Tried losing weight at least 15 times, always giving up a few weeks in. No friends, never left the house. He was deep in a depression and resistant to any and all efforts to get him out of it. We all thought he would be dead in a matter of years either from weight or from suicide.

Now, at 22, he has an Associates degree, is on his way to his Bachelors. He has a great job with a salary and benefits (and in the video games industry no less - something he always wanted but we never thought would actually come to fruition). Over the last year and a half hes been working with a bariatric doctor/professional trainer and is down to 430 pounds, and is scheduled to get a gastric bypass this summer that will help him get over the rest of the weight hump. Its not just a quick fix either - his doctor has been seeing him every month to make sure his diet-exercise changes are built in to his lifestyle so that he could prove he was serious about it and not just looking for an easy out.

Just feels good to talk about how proud I am of him - and hopefully, if any CEfolk feel theyre in a situation that is inescapable, I can vouch that it is possible, even if you start and fail as he did for 4 years before finally getting on top of it.

Please share any other feel-good things you are proud of in yourself or in a family member/friend!