The Road to Recovery

Where to start...
After Mike's stroke, I thought that when he woke up, we would just get back to our life. I had faith.
Soon it became apparent that life would never be the same and we would not be going back to the life we once knew and had. I cried out to God that I couldn't do it alone and I felt as if He was saying that I was right, I can't do it alone, but that I wasn't alone. I had Him.
During what should have been the hardest part, I felt mercy from God and it wasn't so hard. This was the first 8 months over which time Mike had to relearn to breathe, eat and swallow, talk, some of the most basic of functions that sustain life, and his big wish was to walk.
Over time, Mike regained each of these things to some degree. Even though he still had major challenges, he was making a comeback.
As time went by, there were some realities that started to weigh on me. I was told to put Mike in a nursing center. It was expected that I should divorce him or send him home to his parents. The medical bills were piling up. I started thinking of what how hard this situation was. Our son was becoming angry and resentful. I was becoming angry and resentful.

More next time...

A Life-altering Moment - April 15, 1996, 9:30 p.m.

Mike and I were enjoying the "good life" and realizing our dreams of owning our own business in the mountains, hiking, jeeping, fishing, water skiing, golf, softball, snow skiing, snow mobiling, raising a beautiful son, Michael, born in 1990, and on and on. We had everything going for us. So why, on the morning of April 15, 1996, was I badgering my husband with a conversation about how he could be a better husband? And why at that time were our finances in disarray? Why were we arguing on the way to church as a routine? Why was Mike's blood pressure so out of control? We had both become selfcentered adults that looked pretty good/happy on the outside, but not such a pretty site in private. We stayed busy, looking for the next thrill to fulfill us. We were involved in church, attending every Sunday and Wednesday, but privately, still a mess. On April 15, 1996 at approximately 9:30 p.m., God put a fork in the road that we were on and led us down a different path. Watch this video where Gwen talks to us about that.


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About the Beilings

We are Mike and Cassandra Beiling and have transplanted from Norman, Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee.

Eight years ago, we followed in the footsteps of my sister, who had success losing weight, by joining a weight loss class in Norman. After our own success of losing a combined 90 pounds, we wanted to move to Nashville where the Weighdown Workshop is based.

Our lives were so changed that it was fun to get to move to the city where this ministry is based and to be more involved in helping others find what we found.

Play this video to see how to shed pounds permanently.