Doctors Give 678-Lb 'Morbidly Obese' Man 3 Months to Live, He Drops 500 Lbs
If you’ve ever been on a diet, you know how hard it is to lose those few unwanted pounds. Cutting calories and working out at the gym, only to step on the scale and see that you’re only a pound or two lighter, is maddening.
But what if you were told you that if you didn’t lose the weight, you would only have three months to live? That’s exactly what happened to 42-year-old Stanley Hollar from Rushville, Indiana.
It all began with a conversation he had with his doctor. In 2015, at the age of 39, Hollar was at his heaviest and was beginning to have health problems.
When he hit 678 pounds, his doctor told him that if he didn’t lose weight, he would be dead by his next birthday.
Hollar has had other medical issues due to his weight, with his leg being amputated years earlier due to a soccer injury. The injury led to amputation, and Hollar has been an amputee since 1996.
Surgeons had missed a torn artery because of his 400 pound weight at the time — he was too large to fit in an MRI machine.
But finding out just how serious his current condition was spurred him to act: “After the doctor telling me that, it was kind of the kick in the pants I needed at the time,” said Hollar. He began his weight loss journey immediately.
Hollar had always had weight problems but it was something that he was used to. “Weight has always been an issue. I was large even as a young child, weighing nearly 100lbs when I was a five-year-old in kindergarten,” said Hollar.
He added that though his parents talked about his weight, it was not something that concerned him. He accepted it up until that fateful day at the doctor’s office.
So, how did he lose close to 500 pounds? The first year, Hollar was put on heavy diuretics to release the water trapped in his body.
He lost a whopping 250! He was then able to go through Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery to help reduce the amount of food he ingested.
In less than three years, Holler has lost the weight. Now he keeps it off the old-fashioned way.
“I now work out five days a week and try and go on walks at the weekend.” said Hollar. He also replaced sugary snacks with fruits and vegetables.
Hollar feels so much better now. Looking back, he realized that he had always been making excuses for himself to keep the weight on.
The next step? Because of the dramatic weight loss, Hollar is left with an abundance of loose skin. He now faces surgery to remove it, especially the extra skin around his legs, so that his prosthetic leg will fit correctly.
This past September, Hollar did the unthinkable. He a completed a 5K using his wheelchair as a skateboard, but he really hopes to walk again. A close friend has set up a YouCare account to help Hollar raise the funds for his skin removal surgery.
For now Hollar lives by his one motto: “Every new day is another chance to change your life.” He is a great inspiration for anyone reaching to achieve what seems to be an unreachable goal.
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