Errol N. Hannigan

Male

61

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Writer / Fitness Trainer & Ambassador

Jan, 2007

My left leg had to be amputated at about mid thigh because of what became a life threatening infection, which was all due to the surgeon missing the initial signs of the infection. The amputation came after I had already undergone 17 major surgeries including seven partial and total knee replacements over a span of 12 years. Following the amputation came what I can only describe as horrific 24 hour a day phantom pain. This phantom pain forced me to ingest over 2400 mg’s of morphine per day just to cut it down to what I call a bearable level. According to the doctors, the amount of morphine I was consuming would be enough to sedate or even terminate 8 to 10 ordinary adult males, but for whatever reason they said that my pain “eats” the morphine and while taking a portion of the pain away does not allow me any euphoric effects. To compound these problems I was also involved in an automobile crash where a car went through a stop sign and totalled my vehicle. I was removed from the vehicle unconscious and at the hospital it was determined that along with the other damages I had received a serious head injury and along with the related concussion I also suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Along with the pain and other problems came a deep and very dark depression. I would just sit around the house feeling sorry for myself, eating junk food on top of junk food, getting fatter by the day and self-medicating with up to 3 bottles of wine per night. One day after much thought and feeling totally hopeless and that all was lost, I just broke. I decided on a room, loaded my pistol, taped a bunch of plastic garbage bags to the wall because I didn’t want to leave too much of a mess for someone else to clean up and went and more or less told but still asked my wife to give me permission to take my own life so that I could end the pain and suffering. Long story a bit shorter, amazingly she was very calm and said that the man she married would never quit, never give up and never back down from a fight. And seeing as my wife had after over 2 years of extensive testing been recently diagnosed with both Lupus and Fibromyalgia, she said that the man she knew would never leave the one he loved when she needed him the most. Those words from my wife along with the fact that the Lord frowns on suicide hit me in the heart and I unloaded my gun and put away any thoughts of taking my life and resigned myself to doing my best to look after my wife while living a life of pain and depression. This feeling continued on until my wife said that her doctor told her that she needed to start exercising to help fight her Lupus and the fact that she was gaining a lot of weight, so after much discussion my wife talked me into taking the "Body For Life Challenge” with her. Not believing that it would do much good I kind of went through the motions but still followed the program. After about a month I started seeing some small changes in my body. These changes propelled me to try harder and along with fighting through painful cardio (because of blisters from my artificial leg rubbing me raw) I just kept challenging myself and the changes saw me go from over 36% body fat to about 13% and also I had new muscle growth, which at my age I thought impossible. So believing the Lord works in mysterious ways and getting such great results along with relief from my pain I am no longer broken and feel as though I have been reborn and have never been more focused in my life. I have no intentions of stopping and intend to push this old body as hard as I can to see where it can take me. That's what got me started working out.

After my leg was amputated I felt so much less of the man that I used to be, I became so depressed and saddened that I actually broke and was just minutes away from committing suicide and with the development of my outer strength I have also acquired inner strength, and I am slowly becoming the man I want to be. I am no longer broken but feel as though I have been reborn and now have a purpose. Amazingly it brings me relief from my phantom pain, which is the worst pain I have ever known. The doctors all have their theories about why this happens but none can actually explain why the phantom pain goes away only after I start to lift weights and stays away for 1 ½ to 2 full hours after I leave the gym, giving me 2 ½ to 3 hours respite. It does not go away with cardio, only by lifting weights so I must give weightlifting it’s due. Equally, I have also watched my wife who has and really suffers from the effects of Lupus and Fibromyalgia cope so much better with the ravages of those diseases because of her exercise and bodybuilding regime. It gave her back a part of her life that she had previously lost and who couldn’t help but love that?

Previously, I would have said that I was motivated by what I had managed to accomplish to this point and what I hoped to accomplish in the future, but now I need to change that. I now find myself motivated by other people. Not only those that I read about here on Bodybuilding.com, which could easily be motivation enough, but also those who write me and leave such wonderful and inspiring comments and personal messages. I am motivated by those who say that I am an inspiration to them and those who say reading about what I have done motivates them to push themselves harder. How could I not be motivated by those words? Their words motivate me and keep me focused. The lady who is overweight and despite thinking that she can’t lose that weight pushes on because of my results motivates me. I am motivated by the person in the wheel chair who is still finding the strength to workout despite all they must be going through. I am especially motivated by my wife, who despite having Lupus and Fibromyalgia needs to push herself to extremes just to find enough energy to get to the gym never mind working out, which she still manages to do in a most energetic and professional way. I could go on and on but I think you see by these words why I am now motivated by others instead of what I have or was trying to accomplish, and am I ever glad that it turned out this way.

It is not a bodybuilding accomplishment as much as it is a body transformation accomplishment but I was chosen 10th overall in the 2007 Canadian Body for Life Challenge. I am elated over this as I didn’t even expect to be considered let alone finish so high up and to be included in the company of such fantastic people who worked so hard and achieved so much is an honour. Not only did I lose almost 30% of my body fat but I am also seeing new muscle growth and with me going to be 60 on my next birthday I am excited at the prospects for the future.

My real goal and that of my wife is to assist people in overcoming the obstacles that are stopping them from achieving the weight loss they desire and reaching their fitness goals and/or dreams. That is my idea of true bodybuilding.