Those Who Inspire Me -- The Morning Crew -- Natasha Elmy

This is my smile, Patty.  

I want you to think back to when you were 17 years old (or think ahead).  I was a senior in high school, thinking about college--full of hopes and dreams.  I don't think I could even imagine what it would have been like to hear the words, Patty, you're pregnant.  Yet that is what my good friend Natasha heard when she was just 17.  It's a moment when you realize that your life is perhaps going to take a different direction than you may have thought.  

She had just turned 18 when she went into labor three months early.  The doctors tried to stop the labor, but were unsuccessful, so baby Deon was born three months early.  However, when he was born, he couldn't breathe.  They actually had to give him CPR until they could intubate him.  Now remember Natasha is all of 18 years old.  How frightening that must have been.    When they first tried to intubate him, the tube was too large.  They had to pull it out and get a smaller tube.  Deon was without oxygen for 3 minutes.  This caused Deon to have cerebral palsy and other complications.  When Natasha was allowed to bring Deon home, he was on a heart machine and oxygen for 6 months.

Thankfully Natasha was able to live with mom and dad for 2 years.  It was actually recommended to her that if she had another child, Deon would mimic that other child (crawling and walking); Deon and his sister Keona are just 18 months apart.  Natasha told me that Keona however was one of those children that was walking by 9 months old so it was difficult for Deon to learn from his little sister.

I knew none of this about Natasha when our paths crossed at NLP at Golds Gym in early 2016.  When we first met, we kind of sized each other up.  I was very thankful to have someone else to workout with and she was thankful to be back at the gym and eventually we became great friends.  As I wrote last week when talking about Jenna - these three ladies (Jenna, Natasha, and Nancy) were my counselors, my encouragers, my rocks, my friends.

Nancy, Natasha, Jenna, me and Mana

I think what drew me to her was Deon.  I have a sister who was born three months early and she too has cerebral palsy.  Hers is not as severe as Deon's is, but I have a compassion for children with special needs and had actually just left a job at a middle school as a Special Ed assistant.  I had nothing but mad admiration for Natasha.

I asked Natasha how she ended up at Golds Gym at the same time I did.  She told me about a trainer, Malcolm, that she had previously trained with and how strong and fit she was.  Then one day Malcolm left.  (It kind of throws you when your trainer that you have been so successful with leaves; and especially if the circumstances aren't the best.)  She had stopped coming to the gym.  But Mana (you got to love him) kept calling her and asking her when she was going to be back.  She said, he called and called and called.  She got to where she recognized the number and didn't answer.  But she realized that someone cared about her and his consistent bugging her got her to come back in and workout at NLP with us.  We bonded so well and had a great time together.

Natasha is married and has four children.  She told me she grew up fast and she is definitely more patient with people but less understanding.  If people cry about something minor, she doesn't put up with that.  I was like, how then did you handle me when I was such an emotional wreck.  She said, that was different.  Some things that happerned to me were unfair and she understood that.   (I tell you, I am so thankful for her and for her friendship.  She will always hold a special place in my heart.)

Natasha and family

Natasha and Ray (her husband)

Natasha has agreed to let me tell you one more thing about her life.  I think it's important to know as many of us have considered this option.  After training with Malcolm, but before coming back to the gym with Mana she had the weight loss surgery.  She opted for the "sleeve."  She says now, she wishes she would have done the gastric bypass instead of the sleeve, but she's not sorry she did the surgery.

I was curious to why she opted for the surgery.  (Believe me I had thought about it myself through the years.)  She told me that recently she had been getting ready to have a garage sale.  She said she must have found at least 40 books on weight loss.  She's done a lot of the plans that those books suggest.  She felt like she had tried everything and she couldn't get lower than a certain point; so she opted for the surgery.

Even today (since surgery) she needs to eat more calories, but if you eat too much, she gets sick and she gets heartburn.  The more people I know that have had the surgery, the more I learn about it.  I'm thankful she was willing to talk to me about it.

Natasha inspires me even to this day.  Her days are not easy.  By far her greatest challenge in life has been Deon.   The boy has a sense of humor, but he also has days that he acts up for mom, but not for his sisters.  (Smart boy.)  She recently shared this on her Facebook wall.  I want to share it here.  

Keep on being you Natasha.  You are doing a great job!!!  And thank you for your friendship.

Those Who Inspire Me -- The Morning Crew - Jenna Roberts

I was unprepared for the mental changes I would go through during my weight loss journey, and there were many.  I vowed to never "cry" in front of my trainers - Ryan or Mana; yet many tears were shed in front of my friends.  These three ladies will attest to that.  We are four friends from different walks of life, one in her 20s, one in her 30s, one in her 40s, and me in my 50s.  I will cherish these ladies for the rest of my life.  We met in NLP semi-privates and we worked out with Mana and/or Ryan just about every day (M-F).  They were my counselors, my encouragers, my rocks, my friends.   I am talking about Jenna, Natasha and Nancy.  Today I tell you a little bit about why Jenna inspires me!

We called ourselves "The Morning Crew"

I was working out daily in the semi-private NLP training sessions with Ryan/Mana from January 18, 2016 on.  Jenna had been an NLP member, but not a part of semi-private training.  Guess who talked it up for her?  Marivel McClelland - the very woman who I wrote about last week.  Marivel encouraged Jenna that if she wanted to take it to the next level she should get to know Ryan and she should sign up for the semi-private training.  Up to this point, Jenna had not been seeing any weight loss and it was frustrating to her; so she considered what Marivel was telling her and she went to talk to Ryan.  She began training with me in February of 2016.  

Me and Jenna - February 15, 2017

Jenna tells me that she had been serious about the gym and the workouts, but not as serious with the nutrition.  She loved that Ryan was able to help her with the nutrition aspect.  AND he always checked in with her.  He'd ask her how her weekend went (especially in light of her food.)  He reached out and checked in often.  (I love that about Ryan too.  He doesn't just lay out a path for you and walk away.  He lays out the path; and then checks in to see if you are traveling down the right path for you.) As soon as Jenna implemented the nutritional information that Ryan taught her, she began to see weight loss, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Daniel and Jenna

Jenna and Daniel got married when they were just 20 years old.  They were married in 2011.  They had a baby girl in 2012, a baby boy in 2013, and another baby girl in 2014.  They are now 25 with three kids and they are doing a great job together raising their family.  What I love about Jenna is the maturity and confidence she carries herself with.  Here I am old enough to be her mother, yet she is a great friend who helped me tremendously during those times of my mental distress.  Daniel and Jenna have had to handle some very serious life challenges in their young years and they have done it with grace and maturity.

One of my questions I ask before I write is "What was one of your biggest challenges in life."  Well they've had a few.  Dalaynee (their first born)  was 15 months old when Jenna went into labor 6 weeks early with her son, Karson.  He was breech and the decision was made to deliver him early by c-section.  Because he was 6 weeks early, he spent two weeks in the NICU at St. Marys.   It was during these two weeks, that Miss Dalaynee was not feeling well so they put her in bed with them that night.  She began coughing a lot, so Daniel picked her up and rolled her over (in case she was to get sick - it would go to the floor not the bed.)  When he picked her up, she was limp and she was blue.  Daniel gave his baby girl CPR.  Daniel's CPR got her breathing again.  Jenna recalls that they then called for an ambulance and Dalaynee was taken to St. Marys Hospital.  So Dalaynee on one floor and little Karson was just upstairs on another floor.  (Dalaynee was diagnosed with febrile seizures.  She's had a total of 3 and they typically go away by the age of 6.  Dalaynee is 4 now.)

At St. Mary's Hospital before they knew Karson needed
heart surgery.

After two weeks in NICU, little Karson was having a difficult time wanting to eat and his heartrate kept dipping down.  The doctor called in a cardiologist.  The next thing you know this young couple is being told that their 2 week old baby boy needs heart surgery and he needs it immediately.   The hospital was unable to secure a flight immediately and Karson was stable so Daniel and Jenna went home to pack a bag.  Almost as soon as she got home, she got a call from the hospital saying Karson's heartrate kept dropping and he was not able to breathe on his own.  At this point they needed to intubate him.  They were on a roller coaster of emotions.

Jenna and I have both been taught that it's good to have someone with you at a doctor's appointment or in a hospital situation and she was so thankful Daniel was with her.  Because she heard "heart surgery" and then really didn't hear anything else.  Jenna shared with me how her husband, Daniel, was a rock during this time.  When Jenna was told Karson would need heart surgery, all she could think of was "he's going to die."  Daniel was calm and reassuring telling Jenna, "that's not what they said.  Karson is not going to die.  He just needs the surgery and he will be okay."  I love this.  They are both so young, yet so capable, so mature.  

Jenna and Karson were flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital in Denver.  Karson needed a few days of intubation and rest to prepare for the surgery.  (The diagnosis was coarctation.)  Now think about this.  Jenna is 2 weeks out from having had a C-section.  She and Daniel are all of 22 years old.  They've got 15 month old Dalaynee with them at Children's.  And Dalaynee had just given them a scare with the febrile seizure.  HOLY COW!  They had family support there with them too, but kudos to Daniel and Jenna for believing for their children to be okay.  Karson had the surgery and was immediately better.

Jenna feeding Karson after the successful surgery.

Their children are doing great now.  Daniel and Jenna are doing great.  Daniel is really proud of the progress Jenna has made.  Jenna set a weight loss goal and crushed it and surpassed it.  She is smaller now than she was when they got married.  She says the weight she is at now is the weight she was in 9th grade.

Daniel, Karson, Santa, Reagan, Dalaynee and Jenna

I love that Jenna always encouraged me.  I love that she saw the weak side of me (emotionally) and it didn't drive her away; instead she stepped it up and poured on more encouragement for me.  I feel as if I have conquered a lot of that "emotional change" now and Jenna and I just have a blast together working on that "physical change."  I absolutely love working out with her.   I didn't know all of this back story on Jenna when I first met her, but I knew she was mature way beyond her years and I knew I loved being around her.

Always having fun together.

Kind of a private joke - but let's just say we
struggled learning that snatch.

Those Who Inspire Me - Marivel McClelland

In the spring of 2007, my daughter was in 6^th grade and Marivel’s daughter was in 8^th grade.  We all four attended a New York City “music department inspired” field trip.  My daughter had paid extra to have two to a room for her and her friend.  Her friend ended up not going and Jessica needed a room to stay in.  She was put in with Marivel’s daughter and two other 8^th grade girls.  Thus began my relationship with Marivel.  We (parent chaperones) were not allowed to chaperone our own children and we were kept busy from 6 am to 11 pm every day.  It was on this very field trip that I decided I did not ever want to be a chaperone again.   I was overweight and out of shape and I just could not keep up.  We’d walk like 2 miles into the center of Central Park, take a photo, and then immediately walk back to the bus.

Angie on the left and Jessica's other roommates

Me and Jessica

Fast forward to the summer of 2015.  Our son Joe was in high school.  Marivel’s son Jason was in high school.  They had both signed up for a trip to Europe.  Marivel’s family (minus the older girl) and Joe and his dad were all on this trip together.  They all hung out a lot together and ate meals together and Marivel was sharing with my husband Dave all about their successful weight loss with the NLP program at Gold’s gym.

In August of 2015, Joe and I started with the NLP program at Gold’s gym.  This is when I saw what a loyal friend, Marivel could be.  She was “on fire” about her own success and she wanted to motivate and help me.  She literally changed her entire workout schedule at times so that she could attend the same NLP class that I did.   I didn’t really know anyone and she wanted to make sure I was comfortable. 

By December of 2015, she kept telling me about this trainer who wanted to help me win the 12 week challenge that Gold’s put on.  I kind of just kept blowing her off.  I had actually wanted to enter the challenge a few years previous and a trainer had actually told me not to, because I wouldn’t do well.  If you don’t know Marivel, let me tell you that she can be persistent.  We became texting buddies late at night and she kept planting that bug in my ear.  “Ryan wants to help you.”  “Ryan thinks you can win.”  “You should talk to Ryan.”  GEEZE woman – okay then!  I talked to Ryan and the rest is history (or at least the rest is my blog. Haha.)

April 2016

Marivel, I will forever be thankful for how God just worked it out for our paths to cross at the right time and for your ever-loving doggone persistence to get me to talk to Ryan.  Here I am 61 pounds lighter and 9 years older than when I chaperoned that NY trip and I’m thinking – I could chaperone a trip again.  I’d probably kick ass now if I had to march in and out of Central Park for a photo.

Central Park

It's a lot different now for Marivel and I.  We almost never work out together anymore.  She set a goal to run a marathon and she crushed that goal.  She inspires me still every day even though we don't see each other quite as much as we used to.  

Marivel after her marathon