WOW

In April of 2009 I got a call from the town's road agent. It seems that a neighbor on one of the butting side streets had a potential problem with a tree in the woods on school grounds at one of the schools I take care of. An oak that the top snapped out of leaning into another tree as a result due to the December 2008 ice storm.. My the facilities manager and myself went and took a look. I thought that since it was used as a walk through  from the side street to the school by kids we should knock it down. My boss agreed. So he called a local tree service they told him they could get to it in about month. Nice with a potential safety issue..
So I told him it had been some time but I was back practicing tree climbing, and I could spike up it, put a pull line in the snapped leader cut it off. then put another pull line on the stem, and knock it over.

Now here is the kicker, Last time I had been up a tree that height was 1995. The winter I was laid off from the Bartlett tree experts after college. I have had a weight problem my whole life so it was tough for me to climb trees in my classes in Essex Aggie high school and Paul Smith's college, but I always tried. I tried just about everything to looses weight and had given up and just kept gaining.  In November 18 2006 I entered a program for obese people to have Gastric Bypass at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

 After the lose of my mentor Professor George P. Peroni {  who's yard I kept up for many years after college} I had an interview at a well to do private school as a grounds manager. After my interview I was outside tying my shoe and I over heard how I would not fit in because they could not picture me doing the work. Well I take care of the complete outside of 2 schools by myself with little to no help, roughly 75 acres total. I do it all from snow removal, mowing grass, setting up sports fields, planting etc.. That is what kept me going all these years, So I did not become bed ridden.
As I stated I entered a program for surgery I weighed 522lbs and I had a physical job. I needed to loose 72 lbs for surgery. On January 15 2008 I had successful surgery I have since lost 220 lbs. I feel great and I will not go back. Since surgery I have had so much energy my wife loves it and my four year old runs along with dad. I have even started to accomplish some of my dreams. Like climbing Mount Washington twice last year, I am back in my old climbing gear for high school and college  practicing climbing and doing OK at it , even though I still use the old taught line method.

Last fall I was asked to do a radio commercial for the hospital about my surgery, It ran over last winter and they got quiet a few people coming in to check out the program due to my inspiring story.

I am not stopping here I hope to get down to my ideal weight and do tree work on the side with my own little company. I want to thank my wife  for all of the love and support she has given me threw this.

I live in Sandown NH with my lovely wife Pauline our four year old son Cody, who is just like Me HE loves to be outside and loves trees [Potential employee. Recently in April of 2009 we added Our lovely Daughter Jamie who I hope will love the outdoors as well.