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I want to offer a special thanks to
Julie Dostal for sharing her story
with us that is just perfect for the 4th of July
holiday. Here is her story:
Dear Barbara,
I am 4 years post-op with a lap band and am maintaining a
150 lb weight loss. My highest BMI was in the 50's and
today it is 27. Life has changed significantly. In
thinking about the upcoming holiday, I wrote a piece about
the freedoms that come along with weight loss surgery. I
wanted to share it with you and with your readership. It is
long, I am aware. But, I wanted to take a chance that it
may speak in a powerful way.
Julie
Life, Liberty
and the Pursuit of Happiness-
“We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and
the pursuit of Happiness.”
The themes of
independence and liberty have come up a lot for me
recently. I have been philosophical in thinking about how
the preamble to the Declaration of Independence applies to
my life after weight loss surgery. As I read the preamble,
several phrases and words jump out at me. To me, it is as
if Thomas Jefferson knew that his words could have a very
broad application and wrote them in way to make them
accessible to more than just the members of the Continental
Congress. It is as if he wrote the words to be universal in
their appeal and transcendent in their meanings.
Truths that
are self-evident; meaning truths that are obvious, truths
that require no proof or explanation,they just “are.” We
are all created equal; we are endowed with certain
fundamental rights by our Creator; we are endowed with life,
with liberty, and the right to pursue happiness.
“Truth”
Truth is a powerful word. And in the writing of this
preamble, the author infused this simple word with even
greater value by indentifying these truths to be
self-evident. Every truth that follows this very first
thought of his phrase requires no proof because he is
assured that it is in the very nature of The Creator that
they be true.
As an obese
woman, the notion that I was created as an equal to all
others on this earth was foreign to me. I always felt
unequal. In fact, I was often treated unequal. This is one
of the driving forces behind my over achieving ways. It
seemed to me that I was required to perform “above and
beyond” in order to merely play in the same league as thin
people. Because society identified me as a “less than”
person, I knew I was starting with a deficit that had to be
overcome (and then some) in order to be perceived as equal.
In this
instance, weight loss surgery has given me two things.
First, and probably most importantly, I have come to see
myself as equal. I no longer perceive that I must begin far
behind the start/finish line where all of the rest of the
world is standing. I no longer identify my own self as a
“less than” person simply because I have the disease of
morbid obesity. I have a disease. I did not cause it. It
did not seek me out because I was some sort of a deficient
human being. Therefore, like all others, I am created
equal. Created. Equality was always inherently mine,
endowed by my Creator, I just didn’t know it. Second, I am
now treated as an equal. Those who would be prejudice now
have no physical basis upon which to hang their judgments.
It is a sad fact of our society, yet it is nevertheless
true. I am treated more nicely, with greater respect, and
with less scrutiny than I was as an overtly obese woman.
We are
endowed with life. My life is forever changed by weight
loss surgery. I believe that my surgery has endowed me with
additional life, longer life, and far greater quality of
life. Before weight loss surgery, I was looking down the
barrel of a loaded musket of co-morbidities. My genetics
had already loaded the gun with high blood pressure,
diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. My obesity had
essentially cocked the gun, and my own behavior was shoving
gun powder into the muzzle as fast as possible. Now that I
am a normal size, I have managed to significantly reduce the
risk of that disaster-in-waiting. It was a pretty sure shot
that life as a senior adult was not going to be of high
quality. It was plausible that life could have gotten
pretty bad, pretty quickly. Weight loss surgery has managed
to uncock the gun and has helped me unload some of that gun
powder. The bullets are still in the chamber. I can’t
change that because my genetics are my genetics. However,
I’m no longer pointing the gun at my own head.
I am endowed
with life. I intend to live my life to its fullest.
Liberty is
another one of those unalienable rights given to us by our
Creator. I had no idea how significantly my liberty was
impacted by my obesity. I was literally captive in my own
body. There were so many things that I couldn’t or wouldn’t
do because I was either too large to do them comfortably or
I felt too embarrassed. I had conveniently made up great
excuses that downplayed my inabilities to do certain tasks.
My best word
to express the way I feel about my post-operative life as it
relates to liberty is “unshackled.” I absolutely feel as if
someone found the key to my handcuffs and leg irons and let
me go. I am no longer walking around dragging 150 pounds of
prison with me. To be unshackled is to experience absolute
freedom. It is a kind of freedom that is enjoyed only by
people who know what it is like to be “unfree.” Those who
have always had their freedom cannot possibly imagine the
unspeakable joy that is associated with being released.
I am able to
move my body in ways that I never imagined to be possible.
I am always looking for new ways to move and new ways to
express my body’s liberty from the ravages of a horrible,
chronic disease. I am often like a two-year old who giggles
in delight at each discovery of a previously unknown
ability. This liberty is priceless and makes me deeply
grateful to The Creator for the weight loss surgery that set
me free.
I am also
grateful for the right to pursue happiness. I am keenly
aware that The Creator did not give me the right to
immediate happiness; He gave me the right to pursue it.
Weight loss surgery has given me a new opportunity to pursue
true joy in life on a variety of levels. Some of my
seeking brings me to things completely and utterly on the
surface. They are the transient things that do not have
eternal value; reveling in new clothing, getting new hair
styles, and wearing high heels. However, most of my pursuit
is on a much deeper, soul level.
I have shed
the physical layers that were so much a source of pain,
shame, and a feeling of complete and utter failure. Having
shed those layers, I find (much to my surprise) that
happiness is still something that I have to pursue. I was
mistaken to think that my pursuit of happiness was the
weight loss alone. I thought surely thinness would equal
happiness. It does not. The physical part of me that is
left after the weight loss is merely the foundation for
pursuit of happiness. The new life that I have been given,
along with the liberty that frees me are the building blocks
of this third, but ever-so-important inalienable right. It
is the only listed inalienable right that contains a verb,
it is the only inalienable right that required something of
me from the moment I receive it.
Each day is a
new opportunity to pursue happiness. I find that achieving
happiness is much more about me than about my achievements
or situations. It has become clear that living an
event-driven life does not produce lasting happiness. If I
am waiting for an event to make me happy, then I have missed
the point. I can no longer allow myself to fall into the
trap of “I’ll be happy when this happens or when that
happens.” That is transient. Lasting happiness is my
responsibility, through a connection with The Creator.
I am sure
that Thomas Jefferson was aware how significant the
Declaration of Independence was and that it would take its
place in the history of a nation. Yet, I don’t believe that
he could have possibly known that he was writing the
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence for one woman
who would draw strength from it more than 200 years later.
So, I close
with this thought; Thomas Jefferson may not have known that
he was writing to me. However, I am sure that The Creator
was well aware, even in 1776, that this preamble would give
me pause to take a few moments out of a busy week to
acknowledge His presence, His gifts, and the truths about
Him that are self-evident. I am sure that The Creator knew
that I needed to stop and look at all He has given me
through this miraculous process called weight loss surgery;
equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
precious gifts that are only endowed by a loving Creator.
For these, I am eternally grateful. For these I thank the
Creator who created me.
Julia Dostal
julie_leaf@hotmail.com
Julia M. Dostal,
PhD
Executive Director
LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions
Oneonta, NY 13820
I love good news. If you have good
news, a success story to share, or inspiration, please send
it to me at
Barbara@wlscenter.com so that I can include it in future
issues.
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Congratulations Julia |
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