American woman defeated cancer and lost 50 kilograms to survive the death of her daughter

45-year-old resident of Arizona Angela Doonan lost her daughter: the girl died of kidney failure. It was very difficult for Angela to cope with sadness and longing, which eventually resulted in health problems: the woman began to gain weight and got bogged down in depression. To help herself, Angela went on a diet and started exercising. Well, now she's getting ready for her first bodybuilding championship.

(12 photos in total)

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Angela, who defeated cancer twice, was able to turn a tragedy into a triumph after she managed to lose 48 kilograms gained after her daughter's death. Angela says that, left alone with numerous health problems, she simply did not want to live. As a result, by 2010, after 4 years of almost complete inactivity, she weighed 106 kilograms, suffered from hypertension and developing kidney failure.

One day, loving husband Jim literally forced Angela to go for a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood and this, one might say, saved her life. She began to walk daily and little by little was able to lose up to 58 kilograms.

Now Angela is preparing for her first bodybuilding championship, inspired... by the boundless sadness and depression she went through while longing for her daughter. "My late daughter Samantha is my motivation. I cried a lot and thought a lot about what it was like for her in a wheelchair. But I've never allowed myself to take the opportunity to move for granted. She is my angel," says Angela.

When Angela was 26 years old, she was diagnosed with lymphoma. Then she had to go through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, because of which the internal organs suffered. 10 years later, after Samantha's death, Angela was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After the removal of the thyroid gland in 2008, Angela went into complete remission, and she weighed about 106 kilograms.

"Since I was a grieving mother, no one pointed out to me that I weigh too much. I just locked myself in my room and sobbed. I was just shattered. Then Jim took the bull by the horns: he literally forced me to leave the house and walk down the street, and I felt much better. And then I decided to go for a walk every day," recalls Angela.

After losing excess weight, to the surprise of doctors, Angela's heart and kidneys began to work properly. "The doctors were amazed. They called me the girl in the picture. Everyone knew that exercise helps, but I was living proof of it," Angela said.

Angela hopes that her story will inspire other people to struggle with difficulties.: "There have been some stops on my long journey, but I keep going. I want to encourage people who find themselves in a difficult situation, ask them not to give up. I know what it's like to feel exhausted. But when I think about how I used to be, I'm proud of that girl. Because she was the person who took the first step."