RNY saved my life in more ways than one (somewhat OT but ADORABLE KITTY PICS INSIDE)
WARNING!! LONG AND LOTS OF ADORABLE KITTY PICTURES. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
So yeah it kind of goes without saying that having RNY and losing almost 230lbs has added many years to my life.. but in addition to that I am doing so SOOOO much more with my life now. I'm back in school and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. In addition to that I am finally pursuing my love of working with animals. I've gotten involved with several local rescues and while it's made me hate people even more I am loving every minute of it haha! The not so happy reality of things actually motivates me more in what I'm doing as well as with school because I plan to make a career out of working with animals, either from the legal side as an attorney or from the behaviorist side (think Jackson Galaxy). As a result of being involved with the rescues I have actually had a lot of different opportunities and doors open for me. In early August there was an event at North Shore Animal League out on Long Island. Here's the link to the event page it does a better job of explaining it than I ever could!
So I got to meet some really awesome people... including Jackson Galaxy which I cannot even begin to put into words how awesome it was.. after the event was over and most people had gone home my fiance and I were packing the car (we won one of the raffles... a 5' x 8' outdoor cat enclosure) I turned around and Jackson was standing like 3 feet from me with who I am guessing was his assistant. She was trying to locate their car/driver. So like a star struck 13 year old girl at a 1D concert I walked over to him. We talked for about 10 mins. I cried like a fool and told him what an inspiration he is to me and thanked him for bringing so much awareness to the cause, etc. He gave me a huge hug... I thought I was going to die. HAHAHAHA
Anyway... fan girl moment over.. moving on.. So in addition to Jackson and his Cats R Cool workshop I also got to meet Jorge Bendersky (from Animal Planet's Groomer Has It) and Seth Casteel (Underwater Dog creator/photographer). Their presentation One Picture Saves a Life inspired me so much that I went out and invested in camera equipment (it was an old hobby of mine that I just kind of let go for lack of time in recent years) and I started taking pictures. I recently emailed them to thank them because since I've started taking and posting these new pictures adoptions have increased, there has been more sharing and networking of the photos, and there has been a lot more traffic on our page (I volunteer for a tiny no-kill, all volunteer non profit). We've had kitties that have been in our care for months and months finally being adopted and while I don't feel like these pictures are the only reason this has happened I feel like they have made a difference... small as it may be... a difference nonetheless. Anyway, I emailed them to thank them and sent them one of my pictures to show them one of the precious lives they helped save... the next day I received a message from them wanting to write a blog about me and tell my story. I was floored, flattered, and beyond excited!!
Anyway... the whole reason I'm sharing this with you all is because if it wasn't for this surgery and the ability to lose all this weight this NEVER would have happened. I would still be locked away in my house miserable, depressed, eating my life away. I will be two years post op this November. In TWO short years I have managed to turn my life into something I only ever dreamed about. If you had told me 2 years ago this is where I'd be I'd have laughed in your face and probably stuffed mine with some awful fatty food. Life is GREAT... never in my previous life was I ever able to say that and truly mean it!
For the animal lovers.... I wanted to share some pics I have taken... cuz who doesn't love adorable cats and kittens?!!! Enjoy!
We had a kitty in foster who had SEVEN babies. They will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday!
Here are some of our other babies!
Snowflake and Spitfire... both adopted!
Francesca our bright eyed, crinkled ear girl.
Cleo
Chance (such a sweet boy.. someone dropped him off at the spay mobile, said he was feral - hence the ear tip - and never came back for him... needless to say he's NOT a feral cat, not even close)
Fred - one of the sweetest kitties I've ever met. He was a long timer and finally was adopted a few weeks ago.
Chloe - We've had her in our care since January. This was the adoption that sparked the letter to One Picture Saves because she was FINALLY adopted 2 weeks ago!
And finally.. this is Sunshine... he went home Wednesday and it killed me. I swore I wouldn't get attached but this man just won me over. Sadly between our 4 permanent residents plus the fosters this just wasn't the right place for him as much as I tried to make it work in my head.. it just wouldn't but I met the family and they are WONDERFUL so I know he will have a wonderful life... I sure do miss the heck out of him though....
And here are my little ones:
Binx our black kitty and Sir Ducky Reddington the ginger. They are BFFS and both turn a year old on the 16th (these are just pics from my phone):
Oh, this is actually the whole family (fiance included). The big grey meatloaf is Mama Llama... we call her Llammy... and the grey and white kitty is Squeaky. Oh and I'd like to add my fiance is deathly allergic to cats... oh and up until we moved in together a year and a half ago.. never had a pet a day in his life... he volunteers with me too.... :)
OMG AND HOW COULD I FORGET!! I MET GRUMPY CAT AND OSKAR THE BLIND CAT THIS SUMMER TOO!!! AHHH!! OK enough pictures hahahahah!
Thank you! I always wanted to go to law school but I've always had such a passion for animals too. I knew being a vet was out (while I understand at times it's the humane thing to do, I don't want to be the one to put an animal to sleep) so I decided to combine the dream (lawyer) and passion (animals). I'll see where I am at when I graduate with my bachelors though because I might not feel the same about going to law school in 2.5 years when I'm done... Hence option two: behaviorist!
Height: 5'8", HW: 6/4/12 440lbs, SW: 11/19/12 389lbs, CW: 219lbs 01/01/2014
I am super happy for you and for the cats, I love animals and dislike most people due to how they treat animals or if they hunt or fish, yeah it's a tough go to get me to like a human, animals I love uncondiotionally. Your work is amazing but remember one thing, you closed the door to this life, plenty of MO people do all sorts of amazing things because they believe in themselves and don't let MO become a mental disease that prevents them from having success and happiness. I congatulate you on your weight loss and how it inspired you, but it really was you that made all this happen not a number on a scale.
Thank you :) and you're right, you can be MO and successful and do amazing things. However, for me it became a mental disease... I was ashamed and had no confidence in myself or my ability to accomplish anything, especially school. I wasn't always like that. I was a happy, successful MO person at one point, then life happened and over the course of 4 years I just spiraled downward into a dark place. Losing all this weight and getting healthy has allowed me to enjoy life again and all the milestones I have hit in the last two years as a result have helped me realize that I can do anything I set my mind to and that is so liberating and such an amazing feeling! :)
Height: 5'8", HW: 6/4/12 440lbs, SW: 11/19/12 389lbs, CW: 219lbs 01/01/2014
Wonderful post. You are doing a great job. I am a sucker for small animals. I used to be a dog person, but now i am more of a cat person. A few months before my RNY, my cat Emma adopted me...and moved in with me. She has been taking care of me ever since.
This year, in July i found a little, sick stray in a parking lot at work. I decided to foster him (could not just walk away) .... He is still not 100%...but he is just adordable. My cat Emma is not very happy he is with us, but my BF decided we kipping the little monster. Dewey. He is now app 4 -5 months old and a troublemaker...growing like crazy. In a short time he got from 1.1lbs to 55.8 lbs. He is going to be a big cat,compared to my emma -who gets the most 8.2 lbs in winter...
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Thank you. My kitties adopted me too. The girls got me through some really hard times.
Awww Dewey, what an adorable name. Good for you for taking care of him. Not many people would do that. In fact, I think most would have walked away. Give it some time I'm sure Emma will adjust. The girls were the same way for several months and now we are one big happy family. :)
Height: 5'8", HW: 6/4/12 440lbs, SW: 11/19/12 389lbs, CW: 219lbs 01/01/2014
WOW...what a wonderful post! I am a cat person, too. Don't get me wrong, I love my dogs, but I have a special place in my heart for cats. I have three but my husband keeps me from bringing in more and being the crazy cat lady!
I worked as a vet tech for years. I hated the way some people treated their animals and wanted to lecture people daily, but couldn't. I would love to volunteer at a shelter but worry that along with the happy adoption stories their would be a lot of sadness. I think my weight loss has definitely opened doors for me. I hated being in public and would never even consider volunteering. Now, I am comfortable and do not hide away from the world. Hmmmm....maybe I should really consider this!
I feel there is a special place in heaven for people that help homeless animals. It is very rewarding and I applaud you for dedicating so much time to this worthy cause.
Hillary
