Weight Loss Surgery Forums

Being a Pebble

Being a Pebble

by OH member Ramon Lopez

There are several things that I have learned during the amazing four-year journey I have been on since I was blessed with weight loss surgery. Along the way, I hope I have taught a few lessons too. I love to share the four rules I try to live by every day:

1.      Do your job. Whether it?s getting your vitamins, exercise or water, you must do your job.

2.      Failure is not an option. If we do not do our jobs, then failure is surely to follow.

3.      Failure sucks. I have been through so much with this surgery that I do not want to fail.

4.      Never forget where you came from. I remind myself of this daily by keeping pre-op pictures of me everywhere. I look back at that person in the pictures and realize that I never want to be him again.

I had a very eye-opening experience recently while standing on the beach. I noticed that every step I took made an impression in the sand, but after a wave rolled in and out, my footprints would be gone like I had never been there. However, when I stood in one place for a length of time, sand would wash out from under my feet each time a wave would roll in and then more would wash out as the wave rolled out. So, the longer I stood there, the deeper my footprints became on the beach. This brought me to the realization that I cannot just walk into someone?s life and walk out; I must stay there and make a deep impression. Basically, I am insignificant unless I choose to make a real impression on people?s lives by staying in their lives.

One such person that I have made an impression on is Anthony Vega, an OH member from New Jersey (http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/puertorico1189/), who is currently down 215 pounds from his starting weight of 502 pounds in just eight short months. Anthony, like me, had become discouraged with the process of getting insurance approval and decided to quit the weight loss journey. He had added me as a friend through OH?s great friends system, and he sent a message stating that he was quitting the process. Since several people had been instrumental in helping me with my surgery, I simply could not allow him to stop. Although I was from Texas and nowhere near his home state of New Jersey, I had to make footprints in his life. I posted on the New Jersey message board asking for a doctor near him. Well, luckily for us, a lady answered the post and gave me the name of Dr. Ajay Goyal, who was in the general vicinity.

Dr. Goyal eventually performed Anthony?s lifesaving surgery. While on a recent trip to New York, I had the great pleasure of meting Anthony.  I have had several emotional events in my life but this one has to rank right up there.  To actually meet someone knowing that you have had an impact on their life is simply amazing. He calls me his hero and lifesaver, but I was merely doing what I believed in?paying it forward.

One way that I have learned to pay it forward and make deep impressions on people is by what I call being a pebble. This sounds strange, unless you know what I mean when I say it. When I was standing on the beach that fateful day, I tossed a pebble in the water and watched it start a ripple. At that moment, I realized that I had to become a pebble. I wanted to be the pebble that starts the ripple that turns into a tidal wave of helping people. I wanted to capture that moment and use it to make an impact on people?s lives.

Although I have helped people since my journey began, I never realized what a difference I could actually make in someone?s life. I was blessed with this lifesaving surgery, and now I can be that pebble and help people help others. I ask the people that I have helped to always pay it forward by being a pebble.

Visit Ramon online at http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/dashrinkingdawgramon/.