Aaron Sanchez was afraid to see a doctor. After drinking a fifth of vodka a day for 20 years, he knew the news wasn’t good. A peek at his blood tests online earlier that day had already confirmed his biggest fear: cirrhosis. Now he was about to find out how badly that organ had been destroyed. The organs were so enlarged and calcified that they protruded from the abdomen.
Mr. Sanchez brought along his then-fiancée, now wife, Carrie Steele, for support. The doctor told Sanchez straight up, “One more drop and you’re going to die.” Confused, Sanchez asked what that meant. reduce? The doctor looked Sanchez straight in the eye and repeated, “One more drop and you’re dead.”
That was on November 11, 2022. Sanchez hasn’t had a drop of alcohol since then. The 43-year-old pipefitter from suburban Phoenix now talks about his sobriety days as easily as his birthdays. Eleven, eleven.
cassidy araiza
The band helped Sanchez build base fitness after his diagnosis.
However, the early stages were difficult. Sanchez did not work for a month to deal with the sleepless nights and other physical effects of alcohol withdrawal. He was further disappointed when further diagnosis by a liver specialist revealed that his cirrhosis was stage 4, a type that cannot be reversed even with medication. Sanchez also learned that he has type 2 diabetes. he ate little. I had very little motivation until I realized where to look.
Sanchez has a 16-year-old son, Aaron Jr., from a previous relationship, and Sanchez and Steele have a 5-year-old son, Adin, who has previously been diagnosed with a rare brain malformation, Ventricularis. I have Peri-nodular heterotopia (PVNH). I was born with an incurable disease. Like stage 4 cirrhosis, it is an incurable disease.
This hit home one day as Sanchez was sitting on the couch in his living room, suffering from withdrawal. Steele and Adin were out getting ice cream. “I just wanted it to wither away,” Sanchez recalls. “People who are addicted to alcohol think they’re missing out on fun when they’re not drinking. But they don’t realize that they’re actually missing out on life.”
“As an alcoholic, you think you are. When you’re not drinking, you miss out on the fun. But you don’t realize that you actually are I miss out on life. ”
Sanchez has long considered Addin a miracle. Most men with PVNH die before or shortly after birth. The impetus for his change was the realization that his addiction prevented him from truly being with his sons.
The first thing Sanchez did was call his boss and go back to work. He also went to the gym. Since then, he hasn’t stopped exercising. Sanchez continued to work out intermittently, even when he was drinking. But at 6-foot-1, he ballooned to over 300 pounds with a size 40 waist. So he started training three times a week with a resistance band. He then began weight training after learning that his liver cirrhosis and high blood pressure could lead to strokes and death. He now lifts weights for 90 minutes six or seven times a week.
Sanchez spends most of his aerobic exercise walking while at work. He works 10 hours six days a week as a union pipefitter for UA Local 469 in Phoenix. Typically, he records 18,000 to 20,000 steps on his Fitbit. In addition to walking, Sanchez also plays basketball with friends.
Diet-wise, Sanchez currently consumes organic plant-based protein powder and vegetables, sugar-free Greek yogurt, and large portions of grilled chicken and rice, which pays homage to her Mexican heritage, to fuel her before and after workouts. are. To keep his blood sugar levels in check, he doesn’t eat sweets (though he’s a fan of Lenny and Larry’s high-protein cookies). He gave up red meat, except for the occasional steak on a date night with Steele.
cassidy araiza
Sanchez posed for a photo with one of his sons, Adin, who lives with PVNH.
He takes medication to process what his liver can’t handle and to prevent “foggy brain,” a condition caused by ammonia buildup due to poor liver function. Sanchez lost 95 pounds. His waist has decreased to 31 inches. But with stage 4 cirrhosis, the absence of a liver transplant can be a death sentence.
Doctors don’t know how long Sanchez has to live. But during a recent appointment, Sanchez said, her doctor took off her glasses, closed her laptop, and said, based on the encouraging results of her blood tests: But keep doing what you’re doing. ”
Mr. Sanchez intends to do so. While the health benefits are impressive, they still don’t match Sanchez’s newfound ability to be fully present for her sons. The highlight of Sanchez’s day, he says, is cuddling up to Adin and reading to him at bedtime.
It’s peaceful. It’s powerful. It’s pure motivation.
Want more inspiration? Check out the rest of this year’s Ultimate Men’s Health Guy competition.
read more
