The finish line is here

Tomorrow is the big weigh in day. I will let you all know how the final weigh in goes. I can say that I have given this my all and I know that Brady would have been proud of me. Thank you all for your support.

Adam

Why am I doing this?

Since I started this weight loss journey I have had a lot of people ask me why I am doing this. I don't think I've blogged about this and I figured now is a good time because this is what is fueling my fire to the finish line.

Why am I doing a fundraiser during the worst time of my life?

• Robin and I have been very blessed to have a very strong support system. We have families, bosses, co-workers, and employers that really helped us during our darkest days. Most parents going through this aren't as blessed as we are and I want to make sure they get the help that they need.
• Parents that lose an infant due to SIDS, still born, miscarriage, or illness need support. A few days after we lost Brady Angel Eyes contacted us to let us know that they were there to help. This was a foggy time for me but I remember I received information before we buried Brady. They gave us information about the grieving process, their counseling services, as well as a monthly meeting led by a certified counselor where parents meet that are going through a similar journey. I can't stress how much it meant to me to know that we weren't alone. At the same time it makes me EXTREMELY mad to know that we aren't alone.
• Since losing Brady I've had at least 10 people reach out to me to let me know that they were directly or indirectly impacted by child loss or SIDS. I've also known of three other children lost to SIDS, or have been stillborn since Brady passed away. This is way too many babies lost and too many families grieving. The pain and loss that we feel each and every day needs to have something positive come out of it.

 Thanks again to all of you for your love and support.

Adam

Getting close to the finish line

It has been a while since I blogged about my progress. For some reason I haven't felt much like writing about my progress or the journey I have been on. I'm still working hard at losing weight to raise money for Angel Eyes in Brady's name. With two weeks to go I am down 66 lbs which is great but I am still 9 lbs short of my weight loss goal of 75 lbs. I am really buckling down the last two weeks to achieve this goal. I know that each step I take, each weight I lift, and every pound that I lose will help support parents that lose their infant son or daughter to SIDS.

If you haven't pledged yet but would like to support my efforts to raise funds for Angel Eyes please send me an email to adambrookhart@gmail.com. I will send you my address where you can send your donation. My next post will be at the finish line on October 16th.

Adam

Half time check in

I'm already a little over half way through this journey. It seems like yesterday when I started working out to raise money for Angel Eyes. So far I'm down 44.4 lbs in 13 weeks which isn't too shabby. Each pound I lose raises $69.50 so I've reached $3058.00 raised in Brady's name.

I would like to thank those who have pledged money to support me on this journey. Like I've said in previous blogs I wouldn't be here without your support and without the support of Angel Eyes. I also would like to thank Fitness 19 for the use of their gym and Beth Alvarez (my trainer) for pushing me to do my best every time I work out at the gym.

Look for a lot more from me the 2nd half of this journey!

Thank you!

Adam

Pictures of my progress

I've had a lot of requests to put up photos showing my progress.  To be honest with you I have been holding off because I didn't want to look in my rear view mirror to see where I have been. I'm the type of person that only wants to look forward. I decided that today was the day because hitting the 40 lb mark in my weight loss journey is the first milestone that I've hit that I have been happy with.

On 4/13/12 when this picture was taken I felt sick both physically and mentally. When you let yourself go as far as I did plus you are dealing with losing your child you can't go too far lower. Today I am down 41 pounds which is a fraction of where I want to be but it feels so good in so many directions. Every step I take on the treadmill is for Brady. Every step I take is to help other parents that lose a child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Every time I enter "beast mode" when I am working out with my personal trainer is time where I can help heal my emotional wounds that were inflicted when my one and only child was stolen from me. SIDS I will not give in to you and I will do everything I can do within my power to help others that are robbed by you. No parent should have to bury their child especially when the reason can't be explained.

Even though I am starting to get to the point that I am happy with my progress you all have my word that I will still continue the fight.

Adam

6/24/2012 down 41 lbs. 

41 lbs @ $69.50 per pound lost = $2849.50 raised for Angel Eyes

No Shortcuts

The more I go through this journey the more I learn about life. Working out on the treadmill gives me a lot of time to think about all aspects of my life (sometimes I think I have too much time to think). One thing that popped into my head last week while working out is that there really aren't any shortcuts in life.

Will buying a self help book on how to advance my career help me land my dream job? Nope. More than likely it will end up being a waste of  20 bucks. Will taking a diet pill give me my dream body? Fat chance (pun intended)! Will shoving my feelings and emotions in a closet help me speed up the grieving process? No, unfortunately avoiding grief does nasty things to the soul long term. The bigger things in life take a lot of hard work to get through and the only way to get through them is to do things the right way and to embrace the journey. I'm not one to cut corners.

In the last couple of weeks I've had a lot of people notice that that I've dropped quite a few pounds. Most of them weren't aware that I have been working to raise funds to help families who have lost a child to SIDS. I normally give a brief rundown on what I am doing to raise money. The next question I always get asked is how am I doing it. I'm doing it by eating right and by working out on a regular basis. Who would have known that the doctors were right about diet and exercise? I'm not going to starve my self and I am not going to live at the gym 24x7. I'm just going the things I should have been doing all along. Again I am doing this by doing things the right way.

The only thing that got Robin and I through the first month after we lost Brady is all of the support we received from friends, family, co-workers, and Angel Eyes. It's hard to comprehend what it would be like to lose a child and to not have a support system. It has been very healing to know that our journey will help others down the line that tragically lose a child to SIDS.

So far in 8 weeks I've lost a little over 36 lbs which will raise $2502 for Angel Eyes. I still have over 4 months left and lots of more weight to lose. I'll continue to check in from time to time with my progress.

Thanks to those who are supporting me or just following me through my endeavor.

-Brady's Dad

1st Month Wrap Up

It's been a while since I've checked in with my progress. As of last Saturday I'm down 26.4 lbs which will raise $1807.00 for our local SIDS support group (angeleyes.org). I still have pledges coming in and I'm happy to report that for every pound that I lose $69.50 will go to Angel Eyes. The support I've received has been nothing short of amazing.

One thing that I didn't realize about this process is that working would be therapeutic. I don't know if I can explain it but I feel like it has brought me closer to my son. When I'm on the treadmill I think about what a blessing my little Brady Bug has been to me. In the short 7.5 months Brady was on this earth he taught me so much about love and life. After he passed away he showed me how much I'm loved and supported by so many people. I honestly didn't have a clue how many amazing people I have in my life. He also has brought me much closer to God. These are all things I have going through my head when I'm working out.

Thanks again for your support and for following me on this journey. I'll continue to check in from time to time.

Adam