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Even though Jeanenne Darden is already in her late 40’s, she prided herself on being fit and healthy. In her own assessment, she was a strong swimmer, capable of taking her daughters around on her back out in open water.
When Darden suddenly struggled to keep herself above water one year, she went into a panic, “I thought, ‘It’s over.’”
Thankfully, Darden’s friends were able to pull her – and her six-year-old daughter – to safety. Once she returned home, however, Darden immediately went to the doctor to get checked out.
Her doctor’s news was bleak, “You are in congestive heart failure.” Darden was diagnosed with a severe valve regurgitation in her heart; the muscle was working much harder than it needed to just to pump blood through her body because there was a leak.
Darden went into denial. “You must have the wrong person,” she’d said. “I’ve always been fit.”
Just two days later, Darden underwent open heart surgery to repair the leaking valve in her heart, but her recovery was complicated and long. A blood clot the size of a grapefruit called for more surgery and rehabilitation time, and Darden lost motivation to continue exercising.
By the time she finished her intensive treatments, Darden weighed 187 pounds. She’d gained over 40 pounds during her recovery.
Now, looking back on her recovery process, Darden knows she was depressed. Her sudden inability to use her body left her longing for days when her friends would complement her on her toned arms, even during her two pregnancies.
“I was so depressed thinking I'd never be the same,” Darden recalled. “I love clothes, but my clothes didn't fit any more. I started to hate myself.”
That was when Darden realized she needed to make changes to her life to get back to where she wanted to be. She swapped out all her calorie-filled beverages for pure water and started keeping a food diary.
It wasn’t long until her “fat pants” were beginning to get loose.
After 20 weeks of careful discipline, Darden had lost 37 pounds and could wear her old clothes comfortably again. She was once again 146 pounds and managed to lose the weight in fat while building up lean muscle. (Her doctor measured her body fat percentage at 19.)
Darden feels more confident than she has in a while; her depression has lifted and “[her] self-esteem is back.” “I feel so lucky to be alive,” she said.
