“I had always been 15-20kg overweight, but the kilos really piled on while breastfeeding my youngest daughter, Hallie. But even when Hallie turned two, my weight wouldn’t shift.
“Then in February 2009 my weight problems hit crisis point when I suddenly started to notice numbness in my hands and feet. I was chronically fatigued, couldn’t get through the day without a nanna nap and felt like collapsing every time I lifted Hallie.
“A few months earlier, I had also noticed a deep depression and crippling anxiety. I was constantly exhausted and every morning there would be some little voice calling ‘Mummy, Mummy’.
“I began to resent my children, and was frequently yelling because I was so exhausted. In fact, one day Brooke actually told me she was scared of me – that was another reason I needed to get my health issues in control.
“I traipsed off to the doctor’s and, finally, a test result for multiple sclerosis came back inconclusive. I was told to see a neurologist for more tests. I was horrified at the thought of being confined to a wheelchair or that my little girls, Brooke, 9, and Hallie, 4, might have to help my hubby Bill look after their own mum.
“I read a lot about MS. There is no cure and doctors can only treat the symptoms – and I knew my weight wouldn’t help.
Related video: See Leanne and the other finalists’ makeovers and weight loss stories in the video below.
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