Senior speeds toward the Cowtown with help from UNTHSC health professionals
James Meehan weighed 336 pounds and couldn’t sleep. "I was big, fat and unhappy," said the Hurst, Texas, resident.
In his mid-60s he wasn’t the man who retired from an Air Force career that saw him navigating B-52s over Vietnam. He certainly wasn’t in shape for a 10K race.
But 2½ years later, he’s signed up for the Cowtown 10K on Feb. 22, thanks to help from UNT Health Science Center doctors.
He visited Brandy M. Roane, PhD, who treats sleep disorders at the UNT Health Patient Care Center.
"I had been sleep-deprived for 40 years," Meehan said. "With Dr. Roane’s help, I went from waking several times every night, to waking twice, then once, then none. I had a lot of energy again."
"The important thing for a patient like Mr. Meehan with obstructive apnea is that we help him awake refreshed after quality sleep," Dr. Roane said.
With newfound energy, he began a weight-loss program but struggled to run again. He hadn’t tackled a marathon since 1999 when he ran in a benefit for the Leukemia Society on the Ironman course in Kona, Hawaii.
Arthritic back pain and hamstring issues slowed him down. He again visited the UNT Health Patient Care Center, where Thomas Crow, DO, treated him with osteopathic manipulation.
"I’m having great luck there, with Dr. Crow and everyone," Meehan said.
Mid-February found him down to almost 200 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame and covering a mile in under 10 minutes.
"My goal is the Cowtown 10K on Feb. 22 in less than an hour," he said. "I can do it!"
To make an appointment with a UNT Health provider, contact 817-735-DOCS (3627). To learn more about the Cowtown Marathon, visit http://cowtownmarathon.org/.
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