My Dream

[duwayne86]

Hi Driver's! Well it's me again and I am still here in San Angelo. I called Abby at Blair, she said that she would call me if a truck came ope.. But she's didn't call, she called someone else. How do I know because he just wrote last night that he's leaving next week for orientation at Blair and wants to know what to expect.
Some of you drivers out there called me a troll, begger few other name's that was kind of hurtful..
I was going to show u a picture of how I get around town where I live, but I don't have a picture of Jezebel anymore. Jezebel is my motorized wheelchair. I can still walk, but I can't walk far. So i use her to get around town on the bus. Or just to go up the street to walmart. In 2004 my knees begun to hurt so I went to the doctors. Right after that I slip in the loves truck stop in OK. City then once more after beening placed on disablitiy. For the last twelve years Iv been using Jezebel, now on Social Security and I hate it because it not enough each month to live off of.
This is y I wood like 2 get back to driving. I had a dream to get my own sprinter. Didn't need a place to live anymore is why I was trying to sale my stuff. I tried to get the sprinter but I just didn't have enough for the down payment. My dream went out the window. That's my story duwayne

 

[ATeam]

Duwayne, when I view your photo and read the mobility limitations you wrote about, some of our gym members come to mind. Some of them weigh over 400 lbs and they come to us for help because they know, and their doctors have told them, that they will die soon if they do not lose weight and improve their health.

This is no small task. A lifetime of bad health and eating habits must be overcome. It takes time. In some cases self-esteem issues are so limiting that they cannot bring themselves into the gym except at the wee hours of the morning because they fear what people will think of them. (In fact, when people see a person working out who is morbidly obese, they think "good for him." It's an inspirational sight and one we love to see in the club.)

Some people make it. They lose half their body weight and more. They become proud to show off their before pictures along side their after pictures. The image they were once ashamed to view and show now anchors the story of how far they have come. They rejoice in being able to walk pain-free again. Their soul sings when they do something as simple as riding a bicycle, something they not so long ago thought they may never do again. When they plan their vacations, they no longer think about where carts are available to help immobile people get around, they think about beaches they can walk on and steps they can climb at interesting tourist destinations. The simple act of getting in and out of a car with ease is a joy they savor.

There are others who do not make it. They join the gym with good intentions. They receive the professional coaching of knowledgeable and caring trainers. They learn how to exercise in a way that is safe given their present condition and they learn how to work out in highly-effective ways they did not previously know. They make a few early attempts and may make early progress, losing 10, 20, even 50 lbs. But then their gym usage trails off and they fail to show up for their appointments with their trainers. For whatever reason, they cannot stop eating bad food and large amounts of it. They cannot muster the willpower to get up and move instead of sit. That reinforces their discouragement. We stop seeing them in the gym. We stop hearing from them when we reach out by phone, email and text. If we happen to bump into them at a store or community event, they look down in shame.

Duwayne, if it is truly your dream to drive a truck for a living, it's not about what job opportunities are now denied to you. It's about you getting yourself into good enough shape to drive a truck and do the day-to-day work expediters do. Having worked with a number of people who are or have been in the same physical condition you now are, I have no magic words to offer. The means exist for you to become healthy and fit. You will either do it or you won't.