Medi-man Makes Own Wish Come True in Make-A-Wish 100 RaceThree years ago, 493-pound Jerome Biggars, an Operations Manager of an NBC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas, could barely walk. Now 300 pounds lighter, he raced in his first ever bike race, here in Texas.
By: Frisco PR Girl 
Jeromefinishcomp The third-annual Wish 100 with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas in Collin County began at the PepsiCo Campus in Plano where cycling teams rode 10, 20, 45 or 62 miles through nine scenic areas of North Texas: Allen, Plano, Richardson, Carrollton, Hebron, The Colony, Fairview, Parker and Lucas. Biggars just got his bike 5 weeks ago but has trained by taking spin classes five days a week for several months. Medi-Weightloss Clinics, a sponsor of the race, helped Biggars lose 300 pounds in less than a year and a half in one of its physician-supervised clinics. He had tried almost every extreme diet or pill known - from cabbage soup to Atkins, including Fen-Phen before it was off the market. Biggars said he knew he was on a fast-track to death when his blood pressure and cholesterol were dangerously high. Once a fit man who worked out often and taught aerobics classes, Biggars ballooned into someone he no longer recognized. “Look at the fat man!” kids would say at the grocery store, “of course it hurts to hear comments, to have people point at you, and often adults wouldn’t even look me in the eye,” said Beggars. When he shopped for groceries, he would look for a cart to lean on as soon as he entered the store, and by the time he was at the checkout counter, he would be dripping in sweat. When Biggars, dripping in sweat, stopped during the bike race at the rest area sponsored by Medi-Weightloss Clinics, he approached the Gatorade table next to the banner that displays his success story. An announcement was made to well over 50 other cyclists who also stopped to refuel and rehydrate, to let them know the rest area was sponsored by Medi-Weightloss Clinics and that the guy in that photo on the banner was with them at that moment, riding in his first race, which initiated generous applause. Biggars grabbed his iPhone and shared his “before” photo while chatting to several athletes as they shared their congratulations. Frustrated, when he first started exercising, Biggars wished he was able to exercise longer but the most he could do was 15 minutes on a stationary bike. He worked up to 30 minutes, then added walking and weight training. When he increased his walking to four miles an hour, he started mixing his workout with alternating jog-walks. When running took a toll on his knees, which were already weak because of the weight he carried for so long, he picked up biking outdoors – that was just five weeks ago. He didn’t give up and now tells others in motivational talks, “If I can do it, anyone can.” Biggars left his job as manager of the NBC affiliate where he worked for 28 years and now devotes his life to battle obesity and is also a spokesperson for Medi-Weightloss Clinics; health clinics where physicians and medical professionals prescribe weight loss plans based on a person’s goals, current condition, and medical history and also provides individual counseling and motivation. First time racer, Scott Shute, a partner in the Medi-Weightloss Clinics in Frisco and Arlington, didn’t train nearly as much as Biggars. On a hybrid bike, not able to ride quickly through the country roads, he rode all he could then switched from racing to volunteering, handing out water and Gatorade at the Medi-Weightloss Clinics sponsored rest area. Shute said, “Jerome is an inspiration for all of us and we’re pleased to sponsor the Make A Wish Foundation of North Texas. Racing was a lot of fun; the best part was seeing the Make A Wish kids along our ride, cheering and thanking us for helping them.” For more information about Medi-Weightloss Clinics, visit http://www.mediweightlossclinics.com Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ End
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