By Aaron Benson
“Hey Steve. Steve. STEVE!” we would shout. Time and time again the family would call his name on our family vacation in Disneyland in Florida when he was 19 years old. Steve would just have a blank stare on his face. No response. This was an ongoing issue for on our trip and that’s when my mom knew something was wrong. We got home and things only got worse. Steve started having bad delusions of what he perceived to be true and we knew we had to do something then. Our mother took Steve to Regions Hospital where his new life would begin: a life of weight gaining, medications, delusions, hearing voices, and the worst – the thought of never being able to live a normal life. Steve was diagnosed with bipolar and schizoaffective disorders.
He was also diagnosed with diabetes a few years after all of this, due to the combination of his diet and medications. His diet was terrible for several years due to his depression. A side effect of one of his medications was his brain wouldn’t register when he was full, so he would constantly feel hungry and eat out of boredom because he was so limited on activities due to the disorder. The medications (15-20 pills per day) slowed his metabolism down quite a bit and, with his depression, he was unmotivated to do any physical activity.
Steve had a pretty traditional background as a kid. Four of us boys were raised by our single mother, who was just trying to provide for us. Steve was a standout athlete. Wrestling was his favorite sport; he placed in the Minnesota State wrestling tournament in his younger years. He broke two of our high school weight lifting records and still holds one. Weighing 148 pounds, he bench pressed 275 pounds. After being put on medication, he gained about 80 pounds in the span of a year. Up until now, he has not being able to shed a single one of those pounds. Time and time again, he would have a new workout plan or a new nutrition plan, only to fail a week or two into it. He just didn’t have the willpower and support to carry him through. That was a six-plus year process of Steve losing a couple pounds, feeling good, and then eating badly, just to put the weight right back on.
As his brother, I’ve cared and wanted more from him because I knew he had more to do with his life than what he felt he could. I knew getting him to Life Time was going to change his life, but I didn’t have any idea how much and how great the changes would be. In the early summer of 2010 I got a job at Life Time Fitness and after six months of talking / persuading / convincing / and finally making Steve come to the club. He started T.E.A.M. Weight Loss and I joined him. We made an agreement that I wrote down on paper, had Steve sign, and posted it on his bedroom door every day to remind him. It stated “I will lose 10 pounds in December. If I do not I can no longer be on Aaron’s membership at Life Time Fitness” – signed Steve Benson. I took the class w/ him to be his support. That was the biggest step he’d made in close to a decade.
Steve lost 12 pounds in the month of December. Currently, he is down more than 30 pounds total. His doctors — the ones who said he’d never be able to lose any weight – say his blood pressure levels are at an all -time low. He is no longer taking any diabetic medications. His psychologist says she’s never seen him better. Our family can’t believe the improvements he’s made. Steve is in a better spot in life than most any “normal” person I know. He’s happy, and this is only the start.
When Steve joined Life Time Fitness, it marked the start of his new life. A life of fulfillment, satisfaction, and not just hope, but actually living a life he’s proud to live. He’s not just letting days go by. He’s living his life now. He’s not just getting older, but is having life experiences and building wisdom. Day by day I’ve see improvements. He just bought math books for geometry and calculus. There’s a notebook full of math problems no one else in the family can do but Steve. He’s a gifted person and is FINALLY starting to realize what he’s capable of.
Yes, he has a chemical imbalance in his brain that is an obstacle most people don’t have, but because of all of the help he’s received at Life Time from our family of supporters, he has pushed himself to overcome that crutch.
Here is a day in the life of Steve Benson now:
Wake up at 8 a.m. and takes his medication.
After drinking his coffee, he comes to Life Time for T.E.A.M. Weight Loss.
He comes early so he can: talk to the front desk staff, say hi to Tony/Sam and the rest of the advisors one by one. Then he stops by the chiropractic office and innocently flirts with the girls there. On his way to the locker room he says hi to the Ops staff. From there, he changes and goes up to the class where I’ve been told he is the entertainer. Steve’s nickname is “The Furnace – The fat burning machine”. Everyone in the class loves Steve and Steve’s attitude went from cheating and complaining in the class to pushing harder and motivating.
None of that would have been possibly without the help and support of every single person here at the club. This is more to him than just losing weight. This is a chance of a lifetime for him to be whoever he wants to be and he’s taking full advantage.
I’m very proud of my big brother and know this is the start to something great for him.
Steve will be able to, for the first time in his life, fit into every single ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. All four of us brothers try to go once a year. Every year, Steve couldn’t go on the two biggest and best roller coasters in the park and I didn’t know if I could go another time to see that look of disappointment on his face when he didn’t fit. Now the only thing he has to worry about is how much fun he will have.
Steve hasn’t lost the most weight in the world. Steve isn’t yet where he wants to be. This is still the beginning of his journey, but in the few months he’s been with us at the club he’s accomplished more in those months than he has in the previous nine years combined. His challenges are things most of us take for granted. His starting point was much lower than most of us can relate to, but he continues to do it all with that big smile on his face.
Filed under: Success Stories | Tagged: myStory | 1 Comment »
