SPRINGDALE, Ark. — After years of battling his 330-pound weight, a man from Springdale decided to make a change to be a better dad to his kids.
Jacob Lively says it was not being able to go on a ride on a family trip to Disney World that brought him a wake-up call.
“It was that moment whenever I was in that seat and I couldn't fit, I was like, ‘Okay, I know my son is gonna want to ride this ride one day, right? And I want to be there to be able to do that for him,'” said Lively.
Lively says he knew this time, he needed to make a permanent change.
That's when he turned to the Arkansas Heart Hospital, where he found he was a good candidate for Bariatric Minimally Invasive surgery.
Lively says he reached out to the Arkansas Heart Hospital in 2021 and was placed with Dr. James Tucker, who told him he was an ideal candidate for the surgery.
“He said, ‘This is a really smart move for you at your age, you're gonna bounce back really quick,’” Lively said. “And so we talked about it, we prayed about it and said, ‘Hey, that's the right call for us.’”
Since then, Lively has dropped from 330 pounds to 210. A total weight loss of 120 pounds.
He says while the journey wasn't always easy, it helped him become a better husband and father.
“When you're carrying around an extra 120 pounds, it's hard to go chase them in the front yard or throw them up in the air, but now it's like, I’m just gonna be so much more present,” Lively said.
His wife, Gracie Lively, says it was a positive change for them and their kids.
“When you can see your parents being active, it kind of sets that example going forward,” Gracie Lively said, “And that was an example that we wanted to be able to set.”
The Livelys add that at the end of the day, only you can make the decision to create a healthier life.
“I don't know how long I’ll be on this earth but I do know the quality of life that I want to have with my loved ones while I’m here,” Gracie Lively said. “Ultimately, that decision is something that you have to make and I know the Arkansas Heart Hospital would be welcome to have anybody that wants to make that decision.”
They say sometimes the hardest part is the first step of making the decision to put yourself first.
“This was a step for me to make that decision to put myself first and do what I need to do to get right so I can be the best version of me for my wife, for my family, for my kids,” Jacob Lively said.
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