Rachel Perdue
Rachel Perdue, 16, Pebblebrook High School
I got caught using marijuana three years ago and have now been clean for seven months. For my New Year’s resolution, I want to lose 10 pounds, and stay sober, of course. To do that, I’m going to have to stay busy. I’m going to spend time practicing my cello, and keeping my grades up and spend time with my boyfriend, who is very supportive and a good influence.
“Plus, my mom and I have a lot of fun together. We’d be hanging out and best friends if we were the same age. And there are people that I used to smoke with that I’ll need to stay away from. Some of them, I’ve known since I was four, so that will be hard. But I want to get into Georgia or Georgia Tech eventually, but I’ll really have to pull up my grades to do that. So that should keep me busy.”
Tomorrow, Meet Hannah
Hello Rachel. I stumbled across your story today and although it’s a year old, I hope 2012 was successful for you. I too struggle with weight issues, so I felt an immediate connection to you. At one point, I weighed 327 lbs. Although I got down to a perfect weight of 140, 2 years ago, I’ve gained 40 back. It’s so frustrating. I hope you have continued to work on your goals and grades. If you get a moment, I would love to hear an update. I’m giving a motivational speech in February to young people in drug court here in Maryland. I’m looking for stories of inspiration that I can share with them. I hope 2013 is wonderful for you.