Andrew Lewis says, "I could barely walk when I first came here." After a year and a half of blood, sweat, and tears, that all changed.
When the 31 year old first "barely walked" into the J's Health and Wellness Center in Youngstown, he weighed just over 500 pounds. Andrew says, "There was a time where I didn't even care if I lived or died. It didn't matter to me. Then I decided to put everything I had into it and say I wanted to do something about it." So he enrolled in a weight loss program at a nursing home in Cortland, and started working out at the Jewish Community Center three times a week.
Melanie Yesovich, JCC Health and Wellness Coordinator, says, "He takes so much abuse. You tell him to run, he'll run. You tell him to jump, he'll jump. He has come so far. He's so dedicated and motivated."
Lucy Caruso, JCC Aquatic Program Director, says, "Oh, it's been absolutely amazing. He's kinda like the JCC hero being here. He's really inspired a lot of people, especially those who are overweight and struggled with their weight their whole life."
For Andrew, he feels like he has a new hold on his life as a result of following a healthy diet and exercise schedule. Andrew says, "I haven't accomplished a lot of things in my life, but it's one of the things I decided that I'm going to do it no matter what. It's going to happen."
And it has. So far, Andrew has lost 240 pounds.
Even though his journey is far from over, he's definitely left behind his old habits and attitude.
