Theresa and Her Family

My name is Theresa. I am a 36 years old, married and mother of one beautiful little boy.  This is my story.

I first became interested in veganism approximately two years ago after reading an article my sister, Ann, gave me regarding the connection between inflammation in the body and dairy. I was immediately interested – at the time I had already undergone five knee surgeries in my left knee, was in terrible pain and desperate for relief other than narcotic pain medication.  In addition, I was hoping to lose at least 50 pounds of the weight I packed on. Before the surgeries and the birth of my son, I weighed 120 pounds and at 5’7, I was thin and very active.  I loved to dance, hike, walk long distance, ride my bike, work out, camp and just be outdoors.

My first knee surgery was in 2003 and I was told I had a torn meniscus and it would be an easy fix with arthroscopic surgery – and not to worry about it.  When I awoke from surgery my doctor explained to me that my meniscus was not torn, that I in fact had a cartilage defect. In other words, I wore away the cartilage in my knee.  He was shocked as I was only 28 and he had never seen this type of injury in a woman my age.  So what he did was performed a condrial drill procedure (drilled holes in my knee bone to grow scar tissue).  After this surgery I still had pain, but I was still very active and able to hike, dance, etc.

After the birth of my son in 2005 is when my nightmare began. I was 145 pounds and the pain was unbearable.  I went to another orthopedist who advised me of a great procedure, done arthroscopic, that would fix my knee –  an osteoarticular transfer system (OATS). This is where they would remove cartilage from the good side of my knee and transplant it over the defected area. I agreed and underwent the procedure. When I awoke, the doctor advised me he was unable to do the OATS procedure as the defect was larger than anticipated. I would have to undergo another, more abrasive surgery.  So what he did was remove my cartilage and sent it out for growth.

I was terrified.  After six months of fighting with the insurance company, my surgery was finally approved. I underwent the autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), my knee was cut completely open and a three inch portion of my tibia was also cut open so they could remove tissue from my tibia and place it over the newly implanted cartilage. After waking from this surgery, I was in horrific pain, hysterical and in tears, I looked at my husband and said, “What did I do?”  I knew my life would never be the same and that I would never hike a mountain again, kneel, dance, or run and play with my then 18 month old son.

After three months of extensive physical therapy and four months on crutches, I was still in excruciating pain. Several MRI’s, x-rays and consultations with my doctor later, I had to undergo two additional arthroscopic surgeries to remove debridement.  I was finally advised that the ACI surgery DID NOT work, the transplant failed, it never hardened and there was nothing more he could do for me as I was too young for a knee transplant, I would have to see a pain management doctor.  I felt betrayed. I was crushed.

After reading the article given to me by my sister and doing much research I decided I had nothing to lose by changing my diet.  I could not believe the things I was reading with regards to the dairy and meat industries, and I felt that if this worked, it would not only benefit me and my health, but the beautiful animals mistreated by an industry who only saw them as commodities and not living breathing beings. I hopped right into it.

The first month was the hardest as I was the only vegan in my house, and I LOVED cheese. I found a great website – VegWeb.com – which had recipes posted by real people like me living cruelty free, some newbies and others lifers. In addition, I read books like Save the Animals, Animal Liberation, Idiots Guide to Vegan Living, In Defense of Animals, Fork over Knives and great cook books like Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  I found vegan cooking to be refreshing and fun.  I could be in a different country every night – China, Japan, India, Mexico, Italy, and even good ‘ole Southern American cooking.  The possibilities were endless.  My plates were colorful, beautiful and delicious! As the days went on, I became more confident, started making my own recipes and meeting wonderful people through websites and social networks. People I never met in person but were always there to give encouragement and advice.

I also noticed in the first month that I lost 10 pounds. I was surprised and continued my journey.  In seven months I went from 185 lbs to 145 lbs. I was thrilled. My knee pain eased and I was no longer taking narcotic pain medication, although I was taking pain medication, it was non-narcotic. I was working out again, walking at night with my son, and even hiked a small bunny trail (lol) but it was something I thought I would never do again. I also noticed that my skin was clear (I suffer from Rosacea), my eyes were bright, and I looked younger.  I was happy and never felt better.

Then I had a motor vehicle accident, herniating two discs in my neck, bulging three discs in my lower back, and re-injuring my left knee. I could not believe it! I was unable to do the things I just started doing again, unable to cook, and I had to give up the job I loved – senior legal secretary/ office manager – a position I worked so hard to get.  Not being able to cook, I did the best I could to continue eating vegan, but after a month or so I reluctantly gave up. I still used animal/environmentally friendly products but I could no longer cook, hold a knife to cut veggies, peel veggies, stand at the stove, wash dishes, clean, and at times even needed the help of my husband to shower.  The first time I ate meat I literally got sick. It was terrible, I was crushed, and worse I not only gained my weight back but more. I went from a size 6 to a size 16 from 145 to 206 all in 10 months.

I had no choice but to have surgery on my neck, cervical fusion, which I did and I now have plates and screws holding my neck together. While it has somewhat alleviated the pain in my neck, I still suffer from severe low back pain, left knee pain, and hand weakness. After I started to feel a little better, I told my husband, “That’s it I can’t take this any more!” I was depressed, my blood pressure was higher, I felt like I betrayed myself, and that I turned my back on my values. I was fat, miserable, in pain, and on narcotic pain medication, and I no longer enjoyed life. I had to start eating and living vegan again. I told him I would no longer cook two dinners, he would have to eat what I did, and that was it.  I was sick of eating out every night and it was costing us a fortune.

It’s been six weeks and I have lost 16 pounds and two pants sizes. My skin has cleared again and my depression has subsided.  I continue to live with daily pain, but I know if I continue eating and living vegan I WILL lose this weight and I WILL be able to function better once more. I refuse to give up and let chronic pain cripple me! I want to hike with my husband again, share the love and joy of the outdoors/nature with our son.

I cannot see myself living any other way, not only does a vegan lifestyle save the lives of animals and is good for the environment, but also I believe it has saved my life. I think if I were to continue eating the way I was, I would have continued to gain weight, would eventually have been placed on blood pressure medicine, would have had to increased the narcotic pain medication, depression would have taken over my life, and I would be immobile. My outgoing personality would be lost forever – and I refuse to allow that to happen.  When I feel discouraged, I visit a few websites to remind myself why I am doing this, look at my wedding picture, and I quickly get encouraged.

I have my ups and downs. On days I am in pain I am down, but I bust out the crock pot and make a beautiful veggie soup or stew, or make an easy bean salad.  The possibilities of vegan cooking are endless! I cannot wait to see where I am in a month, or better yet by summer!  I am on the path to happiness and healthy living once more, so move over, I will be hiking again and running circles around my husband and six-year-old son!  Look out world here I come!

As a follow-up, I asked Theresa if she would share some stories about her tattoos. I hope you enjoy this little addition. Here is what she had to say:
People are surprised by my tattoos ALL the time. Whenever I go to have surgery, go to the doctors, or am in the store shopping, I wear a short sleeve shirt or shorts – and its kind of funny the attention they get.  Not sure how to incorporate it, but here are a few stories.

When I had my neck surgery, I was getting on the operating table and one of the O.R nurses, an older African American woman, grabbed my left leg and said, “Girl, you gotta naked woman on your leg.” The whole O.R cracked up, including me, and it put me at ease as I was terrified.
Four weeks ago, I was getting the injections in my low back (six) and everyone wanted to see my back, my legs, my arm, and my neck. They were all asking me questions. It was crazy – here I am on an operating table waiting to be knocked out, and I have everyone groping me. It did make me relax a bit, though. The nurses were saying, “I never would have thought you would have so much ink.” The anesthesiologist said I was so colorful.

The other day, I went to my physical therapist and I had a short sleeve shirt on and the girl gasped and said, “Oh my, I had no idea you had so many tattoos. You don’t look like that kind of girl.”  I am not sure what that kind of girl would look like! (lol)
My old boss did not know I had tattoos until I got my forearm done and I could not cover it with clothing as it would stick, so I had to wear short sleeves. He almost fell over. Working in the field of law, I always wear suits and business attire, so I was always covered up. I did not wear skirts as I have both calves inked and my left one is a naked woman. I don’t think my boss would  appreciate my walking with a client or visiting attorneys and having my huge naked woman hanging out.  Before I left work due to my injuries, he was okay with my wearing skirts and short sleeve shirts when we did not have clients coming in. It was an unspoken rule. He never said anything, but I just knew and respected that.

I guess people don’t think I am covered with ink, at work I look and act very professional, and when bumming around I look like your typical wife and mother. Blonde hair, blue eyed, and a bright smile. I am also well spoken.

The first time I remember wanting a tattoo was when I was five years old. My dad came home a little drunk and with a bandage on his inner arm. My mom was yelling at him, and wondering what the heck was going on, me and my older sister went into the kitchen to see.  My dad called us close and asked us if we wanted to see his new tattoo and to come and help him clean and rebandage it. So we went into the bathroom to help him clean it, and I was floored! It was a grim reaper with a sickle and headstones in the background with black birds – your typical 70′s flash. It was swollen, bleeding and smelled of ointment. I knew at that moment that I had to have one and I told my dad I wanted one of those when I get big. He laughed and said, “Okay, Bones” (my nickname). I was hooked!

I always get asked the same questions, “Did it hurt?” “What does that mean?” “Who does your ink?” “Why would you do that?” “Does your husband have ink?” “Does your husband allow you to get so much ink?” (That one always gets me – lmao). The answers: Yes they hurt; Nothing; my brother in law Olde Monk, Paul Nolan, Mars Munoz; My husband has four small tats, not like me; my husband would never stop me from doing something I love, even if he tried, I would do it anyway, I am just that type of person.

I have been getting tattooed since before it was cool, almost 20 years. I am a very outgoing person who loves to be different, even if you can’t see under my clothes.  I am not done decorating my body, I am going to have the rest of my back finished, my right sleeve finished, and will start a chest piece very soon. I even paired my sister up with my tattoo artist and they are now happily married.

One of my favorite stories is when I was in the shop getting ready to get some work done and a 70+ year old woman walked in wanting a tattoo. She said she was 75 and always wanted one. She walked out with a rose on her chest and I walked away with a great memory of this amazing woman who was finally doing something she wanted to do for years. She said that when she was a younger I woman, she would not dare do such a thing. What a wonderfully brave woman.

I guess the bottom line is – don’t judge a book by its cover. I am a heavily tattooed woman who is a mother, wife, sister, aunt, friend, animal lover, nature lover, and professional legal secretary and office manger. But most of all, I am intrigued at the fact that I will always have someone’s artwork forever on my body. I will always remember what was going on at that time in my life. I love everything about tattoos – the smell of a clean shop, meeting with my artist and having him transform my ideas into art, and, yes, the pain (lol)!

You can follow Theresa on twitter @soblondetats and her blog here.

If you’re feeling inspired and want to submit your own vegan testimonial please read this post. You can also read the interview Kasey Minnis (@veggiemightee) did with me about this project on This Dish is Veg.