Mike Forrester

I  was never much of an athlete  growing up.  I did play baseball for several years, but that was about it.   With my degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and my MBA from MTSU, I spent most of my career sitting behind a desk.  There were several times I was involved in walking and exercise programs which  helped me to feel better and lose weight;  however, staying in the habit of exercising was the problem.

In 2009, I had an experience that completely changed my life, the life of my wife Sue, and rest of my family.  Early in 2009, I was starting to feel bad.  I had a loss of energy, and eventually I had shortness of breath.   It got really bad before I went to the doctor.  The doctor found that I was severely anemic and recommended iron pills.   A few days later, I told him about my shortness of breath.  A CT scan revealed blood clots in my lungs and lower left leg.  I was put on blood thinners and a week later, I started bleeding in the colon.   A colonoscopy revealed a cancerous tumor in the lower colon.  I was scheduled to see a surgeon.  In the meantime, another CT scan revealed a tumor on my right kidney.   As I was sitting in the surgeon’s office the report of the kidney was sent to me.   It was traumatic for our family to have 2 serious issues to deal with.  On Friday, June 26^th, the surgeon removed several inches of colon while urologist removed the right kidney.  The colon cancer was early stage 3 and the kidney was stage 2.

5 Days later, while getting over the surgery, and I got sepsis poisoning in my abdomen.   I had to have another surgery.   I was in ICU for 5 days and I was in the hospital for 3 weeks.   It took me 8 weeks to recover from these surgeries.  Sue was an absolute angel to me and helped me recover from these events.

Since that time, I have been cancer-free.  I have a CT scan every 6 months and colonoscopies regularly.  I do have other health issues consistent with a sedentary lifestyle.

Early this year, Sue learned about the No Boundaries program.  She wanted us to participate so that I could get moving.  I will admit, I did not think that I could do this, 3.1 Miles?? Not to mention that I did not think I could exercise outside in the cold.  Sue inspired me to join up.  It has been a wonderful experience for me to see that I can do it!  I have met some wonderful people, who are so supportive and encouraging.    I did not “win” the race, but I beat everyone who didn’t get off the couch.

 The Lord has spared my life to this point, and I intend to live life to the fullest for the remainder of my days.  We have 10 grandchildren who are dependent on me to teach them geography, astronomy, and  the piano.  We also do some fishing and camping.   Sue and I spend many hours enjoying our family.  Sue has been a blessing in my life and she encourages me to do better every day.     I will continue the walking with No Boundaries and enjoy the association I have developed with the people involved in this program.