“My twins were born prematurely at 23 weeks. Nine and 12 weeks later we held each of their funerals. I lost my way and began living on anti-depressants.
These made me put on weight drastically and by 2012 I weighed 146kgs. I had had heart surgery once before in 2003 but now,after more heart palpitations and blacking out, the cardiologist told me I needed to lose weight or have a second surgery. I was determined not to go through that again but to change my lifestyle instead.
A close friend of mine, who is a psychiatrist, reached out and listened to me. With his help I started to wean off my medication. I lost 15kgs in five months and another 54kgs the next year. What I’ve been through has made me realise that depression is not something I have to live with. Fitness is now my anti-depressant.”
