William Ballard

It is good to know my friend Michael Mednick is taking the next step forward to helping others with their addictions, spirituality, and in a lot of cases their hang ups.

Back story, I am a chronic pain patient, who suffers from multiple symptoms, I have had a couple back surgeries and a spinal cord stimulator implant. I have blown out my disk between L-5 and S-1. This is all due to an accident on the football field back in 1984. I finally had my first surgery in 2003. Morphine, Valium, Percocet, and nine other medications were added to my daily routine of masking the chronic pain I was in. The doctor took me off the Morphine in 2005 and substituted it with OxyContin to try and get better pain relief. I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the time. I weighed 360 pounds by 2008. I honestly felt like a man that had given up. I felt so empty in that world of seeking pain relief. My life was on a daily time schedule of taking medication that I could not get away from. The reason being, ADDICTION. I did not feel like I was in the same category as all the illegal drug users, simply because my drugs were prescribed by my doctor and in my foggy thinking that meant I was okay. Boy was I wrong. In 2008 a good friend of mine asked me if I would go and work out with him to get some of my weight off. At this point, I was at my all-time low and I had no self-esteem to do anything. I knew if I did not give this a chance I was going to expire. In April 2008 I had the privilege of meeting my personal trainer Michael Mednick. The first thing we did was go to his office and talk. He simply wanted to get to know me. It truly seemed he was concerned about my well-being and not just my physical appearance. I felt comfortable sharing my damaged life with this man. This is something I rarely do and after three months of workouts I got to know Michael pretty well.? He pulls no punches and tells it like it is. This is something I needed. He is honest and compassionate in what he does. He cares and is truly there for you. I cannot say this to most personal trainers that I have worked with. After losing 20 pounds within the first three months, Michael would talk to me about my addictions to the medications I was taking. At this point in our friendship I took his words to heart and it finally made sense to me, that I was an addict. Like I said earlier, I was on twelve medications at that time. Michael was ther for me every step of the way. In my addicted state of mind Michael would talk to me and give me clarity and the tools to carry on. Whatever time day or night, Michael was there for me. I am proud to say that I am off all medications today and this happened within the first year of knowing Michael. In my second year, the doctor told me that my type 2 diabetes was gon due to the weight loss with Michael. I finally have my life back and I am down over one hundred pounds since I first started working out with Michael. Finally, I am once again proud of who I am. I have seen first-hand of what Michael has dedicated his life to. If you find yourself in a place of despair with addiction pleas take my words to heart, they are meant for you. Pleas give Michael a chance in helping you with your recovery. He really gets it and has helped in saving my life.

Take care and be well.
William Ballard