As promised, here is Tonys story. It is tough to read -- so please be forewarned that it does briefly describe a terrible injury. However, Tony shows us that with determination and the right tools, you can overcome the obstacles in your way. Thank you, Tony, for being an inspiration and for sharing your story. My name is Tony Sosby, and Im from Paris, Kentucky. I just had the Gastric Bypass, and I would like to tell you a little bit about me. Ive worked at horse farms for over 38 years, working with many well-known horses; Halo, Sunday Silence, Bold Forbes, Unbridled and many others. I also worked directly with some of the horses, pulling and braiding their manes for competitions. Several years ago, I was in a terrible farming accident while I was the Farm Manager at Lochness Farm. I was mowing the fields the day after wed had a lot of rain; there was quite a bit of flooding, mud and broken tree branches in the field I was mowing. There were horses in the field, too, and part of my job that day was to move the branches out of the field, move all the feed tubs and mow everything down. Id been on and off the tractor several times, and my shoes were muddy. I got off the tractor to move a feed tub and my pants leg caught on the gearshift and pulled it into gear. I slipped off the tractor and reached for the steering wheel to keep my perch, but my other foot got caught under the back tractor wheel and I let go, falling in the path of the bush hog. The bush hog cut both of my legs off, one above and one below the knee, and I nearly died. Luckily, I was lying in mud and that mud sort of packed the wounds, which kept me from bleeding to death. I spent quite a bit of time in the hospital and rehab facility after that, but I was determined to live as normal a life as possible. I got my first set of prosthetics in 2002, but it took a couple years of trial and error to get the right fit from them so I could use them. Unfortunately, I started gaining weight, and that caused trouble with the legs, so I went to HMR to lose weight. I did really well there. I lost 87 pounds and while in therapy, learned how to use the treadmill and elliptical machines and lift weights - all with my prosthetic legs. I started going to the YMCA several times a week and learned to shoot basketballs without my cane. I was doing great. Unfortunately, the program that was paying for my YMCA membership stopped paying for it, and in turn, I started regaining weight through lack of activity and depression. My weight got up to 396 pounds and I couldnt use my legs anymore because I was too heavy. My doctor recommended Gastric Bypass. I attended a seminar, and my wife and I decided that a Gastric Bypass was the right decision for me. Meanwhile, I got my YMCA and HMR memberships reinstated, so I continued to try to lose weight while I went through the weight loss surgery program at Georgetown Bariatrics. I had my Gastric Bypass on May 26th of this year. Im down to about 250 pounds, and Im back on my legs again! I hadnt been on them since 2007. Im learning how to use them again, and Im not going to let anything stop me from reaching my goals. I want to weigh less than 200 pounds. I will. I want to get my GED and take some college classes. I will. I want to get back into the thoroughbred industry. I will. Id like to show people they dont have to give up on their life just because they are in a terrible accident or if they are overweight. They can better their lives; all they have to do is take it one step at a time. I am.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 18:19:15 +0000
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