Hi, friends, how are you today?

This time last year, we did not know if our oldest son was going to make it. He had a mysterious illness that made him very sick. He stopped talking and swallowing and even quit breathing three different times. He spent the better part of 10 months in hospitals and ICUs. In addition to that, our adopted children were recovering from surgery. Our daughter had life saving heart surgery (we did not know she had a serious heart defect when we adopted her) and our newly adopted son had surgery to correct a birth defect. That was a lot for one family to deal with and I coped by eating. Well, crying and eating.

Lots of crying.

Lots of eating.

Lots and lots of eating.

I quickly put on an extra 23 pounds, which caused my health to go downhill.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heartburn and reflux, insomnia and pre-diabetes all plagued me. Not to mention the trauma of watching our children suffer. Is there anything harder on a mother’s heart than to watch her babies go through unthinkable pain while she stands helplessly by?

But on January 30th, I made the best change of my life. I joined Crossfit. That first night I could not hang from the pull up bar or do a single box jump. (The idea of jumping on a box terrified me, to be truthful!) But my coaches worked with me and little by little, I began to get strong.

In addition to exercise, Crossfit gave me a meal plan that taught me healthier ways to eat. I cut out soda and salted caramel mochas and all the unhealthy foods I loved.

I started sleeping peacefully, even though my son would not get better for many months. My heartburn and reflux went away completely and my cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure all fell in the normal range.

I have now dropped 30 pounds and have never felt better. My kids are all fully recovered, too. Our son made a miraculous recovery that doctors thought was impossible. Our daughter, who could have died, is now healthy and cleared for all activity, including vigorous exercise, and our son’s birth defect is corrected and will never be a problem again.

The before photo above was taken at the Stampin’ Up! Onstage event in Utah while I was on the Stampin’ Up! Design Team and the after photo was taken last month, after seven months of hard work and eating healthy. I have never felt better!

But you know what the best part is? All the people who loved me just the way I was. My hubby, my family and friends, my fellow design team members. Thank you one and all for loving me no matter what I look like and thank you Crossfit for making me healthy and strong!

Our days of sorrow have finally gone, replaced with days of joy. Last year is starting to feel like a distant memory as we enjoy our son’s recovery and the good health of our little kids, as well as my own. To say we are thankful is an understatement.

So many of you were part of our journey to now- thank you for every bit of support. It truly means the world.

Michelle

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