If your significant other was dealing with a medical condition, you’d move mountains in order to save them, wouldn’t you? What if you were the only hope that they had to get better? But what if you couldn’t help them, at least, not in your current condition? What do we mean by this? We’re talking about your weight. It sounds awful, but it happened to Cynara Stalenhoef from Perth, Australia. When her husband, Matt suffered a health setback, Cynara was the one person who could help him by donating a kidney, but doctors told her that she couldn’t, and the reason behind it left her devastated.Matt had learned he had a rare genetic disorder that was affecting his kidneys. Doctors warned him that eventually, his illness would put his life in jeopardy. The only thing that could save him was a new kidney.
She got herself tested and it turned out that she and Matt have the same blood type, which was great news. The only problem was that doctors told her she was overweight and unsuitable for organ donation.
At the time, she weighed 108 kilos, which is about 238 pounds. “I’ve got this doctor telling me that I can’t save anyone in my family because I like cake too much,” she said. But she knew she had to act fast to help Matt.
It was difficult for her to exercise because her weight caused all of her joints to hurt, and it kept slowing her down. In the end, she felt like all this pressure had been placed on her shoulders, but since exercise alone wasn’t working, she had to come up with another option.
She thought about getting a gastric sleeve, which she had considered before learning of Matt’s condition. Now she felt like she had to, so she went through with it, but she didn’t tell her husband that this was all for him. Before long, she started seeing some results.
She went on a diet and made sure that all of her portions underwent a massive reduction so that her body would do the same. After all, she never expected the surgery to be an instant cure to help her lose weight.
Cynara had lost 110 pounds and not only looked great but felt amazing too. And if you’re wondering If sticking to her diet was difficult, she’d tell you that it wasn’t. Given the undeniable results, we’re sure her confidence skyrocketed too.
In addition to exercising, she has upgraded those 5k races to 10k races, and has every intention of running an ultra-marathon. But of course, her main priority is clear and that involves saving her husband’s life.
Cynara is aware that Matt’s kidney functions have dropped to 28% as the tuberous sclerosis in his body continues to worsen. But the obvious concern and pain that she feels for Matt isn’t evident on her face because she’s a trooper and will keep running till she can save his life.
