going out more with my friends, enjoying my teens
in a way I hadn’t been able to before.
Then, at the beginning of 2008, Mum developed
some worrying symptoms and was referred for
tests in Cardiff. When we learnt it was cancer
I buried my fears and tried to stay strong for my
eight-year-old sister, Sophie. Throughout Mum’s
treatment I continued to focus on Slimming World,
knowing how my much my health meant to her.
I was at group when I got the call to go home
urgently. Mum’s health had been deteriorating and
I’d known this day would come, but it seemed much
too soon. Mum died in hospital surrounded by her
family, all of us wondering how we would survive
without her. I took it upon myself to look after
Sophie and try to stop her world falling apart. While
I was concentrating on the rest of the family, I had
no room left to take care of myself. I stopped going
to group and slipped into my old habit of using food
to comfort myself.
Missing Mum
By now, I’d left school and was working at a Cardiff
call centre, which was close to a huge range of
takeaways. I made full use of them all, especially the
Chinese restaurant below the office, and my weight
began to rise again. I felt lost without Mum and I so
missed her guidance – how she had always found
a way to help me, even when I didn’t want to help
myself. A year after Mum died, I went shopping for
a new pair of trousers with my friend Tasha from
work. As none of the high street chains went up to
my size, I had to be measured for clothes at a shop
that catered for bigger gentlemen. In my head, I still
had a 34-inch waist – and
when I was told it was actually
52 inches, I couldn’t fight
back the tears. The poor shop
assistant was so shocked by my
reaction we were given glasses
of Champagne on the house!
Tasha and I had laughed
about the free bubbly
afterwards, but in the back
of my mind I had a nagging
thought: ‘What would Mum
say if she could see me now?’
I knew the answer – she’d be
sad for me; sad that I was bigger
now than I’d ever been before
at just shy of 27st. With that
thought in mind, I went back
to St Thomas’s Church hall.
I walked into the bustling
group and the first thing I saw
was Lisa making her way over >
f inding his voice
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 39