Introductions, Acknowledgments, and Accolades.

This begins the journey of my mom, Angela! The stars aligned, the gods agreed, and my large, stubborn, Italian mother, a 54 year old RN, and mother of three boys is at a turning point in her life - whether she likes it or not. My mom is very overweight (we will get into specifics later); she is battling high blood pressure, and is on a fast track to type II diabetes, a wheelchair, and assisted living. She is very headstrong and does not respond well to constructive criticism. I have heard she isn't the first nurse to suck as a patient. She has had a rocky few years with relationships and is finally rid of distraction and can focus on herself. Her three sons (Michael, 30; Me, 28; Andrew, 17) love her very much and have been concerned about her weight and general health for quite some time. Two years ago she had bi-lateral knee replacements 3 weeks apart. She never followed up with her Physical Therapist and is now worse off than she was before the surgery. Having realized that there is little chance she will cooperate with anyone else, I am taking it upon myself to help her change her life and get her healthy. I am a rock and ice climbing instructor, a runner, surfer, and cyclist. I am very interested in Biomechanics and am fascinated by the physiology of the body. I am currently finishing a Biology degree and am applying to Athletic Training programs (hopefully moving on to PT school). I have a passion for helping people get healthy and am shouldering a huge challenge. I am about to learn what it will take to help my mom drop a couple hundred pounds and to change her life for the better. I have been shadowing Physical Therapists all summer and have learned a ton about the structure of the human body. I am blessed to have a friend who is a very experienced PT. He has already helped me immeasurably and has laid the ground work for what I believe is a great career track for me - as well as develop a safe and achievable game plan for helping improve my mother's quality of life. So here we go! Ambush results to follow!