A Disneyland employee shared his story of losing 150 pounds and recovering from diabetic shock by walking around the Disney parks—and it’s warming the hearts of pretty much everyone on the internet.
Mark Gautier shared his story in a video for the Disney Parks Blog. In the video, Mark said when he awoke from a coma following diabetic shock in 2013, it was a struggle just to write anything or speak.
“I tried to write notes because I couldn’t talk,” he said: “I couldn’t write anything. It was chicken scratch. I was devastated because I’ve always loved the arts: drawing, writing, lettering. I thought I had lost my ability to do it all.”
After he got out of the hospital, he later told the Orange County Register that his wife Vanessa said, “You need to get it together. We need to make changes.” So one of the things they did was to buy passes to Disneyland so they could walk around the parks and have fun all while getting exercise. They logged seven miles in one day within the first year.
And they didn’t just walk around; Mark said he made sure to enjoy all sorts of Disneyland foods too, like turkey legs, corn dogs, and nachos, all while utilizing portion control and sharing. He lost 150 pounds in five years and he and his wife Vanessa eventually welcomed a baby girl.
In the end, Mark actually ended up falling in love with the parks so much that he applied to work at Disneyland.
“It was the ambiance, the detail and the artwork,” Mark told the Disney Parks Blog. “I was amazed by everything, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
He now works as a Disneyland Hotel Houseman and is a part of Disney Aspire, an educational investment program. He walks about 13 miles a day in his job, according to the OC Register.
“I’m so grateful and happy for myself. What I’ve gone through and how I’ve overcome it. All of this has been a blessing in disguise for me,” he shared.
From: Delish US
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