A Healthy Choice

Janelle Finnie is an office specialist in the outpatient Pediatrics department at Cleveland Clinic's Hillcrest Hospital.

After her husband Rob's scare with ureteral cancer, an extremely rare type of cancer usually affecting individuals over 75 year old. Janelle decided to make a drastic change in her life as well.

"After about a year... I realized I couldn’t be a caregiver to anyone, whether it was at work or at home, unless I started taking care of myself," Janelle says.

Janelle knew something had to change, so she began walking every day.

"You have a choice every morning when you get up. You can make an excuse or you can make something happen."

"I got a pedometer and I walked 10,000 steps everyday. It might have been 10 o'clock at night, but I was walking laps in the neighborhood. And then I changed what I ate... and at first it was hard, but when you want something really bad you do it. I tracked everything I ate and I still do. I just started making better choices and pretty soon the cravings for the bad foods stopped," says Janelle.

Janelle set a goal with her Cleveland Clinic physician to lose roughly 86 pounds, after starting at a weight of more than 227 pounds. She was able to hit that goal in less than a year.

Soon Janelle was able to start running, beginning slowly, but eventually reaching her goal of running over 15 miles a week and competing in long-distance running competitions.

"I really thought my husband was going to die. I figured, well if this means I have to give up cupcakes and pop, he gave up his kidney and his hair. He was willing to do it for us. It feels good to know that I'm taking care of myself so I can take care of my family," Janelle says.