Fletton Avenue Mani loses an amazing 13 stone and is now enjoying life again!
Mani lives at Fletton Avenue, our residential service for people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) located in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. PWS is a rare genetic condition, affecting an estimated 1500 – 2000 people in the UK of all ages. Individuals are restricted in their daily life through their insatiable appetites and they may experience other complications, such as restricted growth and behavioural problems.
Before moving into Fletton Avenue Mani weighed over 35st (223kg), was smoking 40g of tobacco a week and was struggling to walk even a few yards without feeling breathless. He remembers that he would even need to link arms with someone when he walked to help steady his balance. It was then that he had a conversation with a PWS specialist, Dr Tony Goldstone, who gave him an ultimatum – he either manage his health or it could lead to devastating consequences. Luckily, there was support out there for him in the form of Consensus’ specialist PWS residential service, Fletton Avenue.
Mani moved into Fletton Avenue in August 2019 and initially he was not very happy there.
He wanted to go back to his old flat, to be with his dog Sanchez, and to be with his family and friends again. But as time went on, Fletton Avenue became a home for Mani and he started to notice a real change in himself. He was going out every week to spend time in nature, he was walking, he was swimming 20 lengths a day at the local swimming pool and with support, he was able to manage his appetite and started losing weight, and most importantly feeling better in himself.
Mani has taken an active role in understanding his diet and how it can affect his life. He says, “I don’t mind that my food is managed, as I know that I have a healthy balanced diet which includes my puddings and supper. I know that I can have something different to the menu if I want to, but I really like the meals.”
Then the first Covid-19 lockdown hit in March 2020 and Mani began struggling with being unable to venture out into the community and continue to enjoy newfound hobbies. He missed swimming and being able to go out walking as much, but he didn’t let that get him down – he tried getting out as much as he safely could and kept looking forward to the time when he could get back to what he loves.
Now, Mani is happy again, swimming at least five days a week and he recently broke his own record of swimming 60 lengths without stopping!
Not only does Mani enjoy being active he also loves spending time with his family. Recently his brother graduated with a Doctorate degree and so of course Mani wanted to attend the ceremony. He was nervous about selecting a suit to wear because of his weight and was almost certain that he would have to get something ordered in or altered… however Mani was thrilled when the jacket had to be taken in across his shoulders instead of being made bigger! He attended the graduation in style.
As someone who lives with PWS daily, Mani was keen to get involved in the 2022 PWS Awareness Month in May – and decided to take part in a PWS fundraising walk. At first, he was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to finish at all – but not only did he finish, he took on the longer walk which was a total of 4 kilometers!
At Consensus, we have a focus on person-centered support, and want to help every person we support to not only live independent, healthy lives but to achieve their own personal goals. Mani’s goal is to eventually be able to move back to his own flat with support – but he has made the decision to stay at Fletton Avenue until he reaches his target weight of 15 stone.
Today, Mani weighs 22st (146kg)– that’s an amazing 13 stone (77kg) down since we met Mani, and we can’t wait to see what Mani achieves next.
Learn more about PWS and our support here.