MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A 44-year-old stroke survivor recently conquered the Manitou Incline!
The Incline isn't an easy challenge; it features more than 2,700 steps, is one mile in length, and ascension averages a 41 percent incline. Lee Taggart is part of the Facebook group "Manitou Incline Hike Group." He posted his recent success story to a page, and a News5 viewer asked us to highlight the achievement. Taggart told News5 he nearly lost his life 19 months ago.
"I started losing my vision, and I thought it was a detached retina," Taggart said of the warning signs.
Taggart went to the optometrist, but they couldn't find anything wrong with his eye. It wasn't long before he was in the Emergency Room, and then the ICU for two weeks.
"I was having a series of strokes that were causing me to lose my vision," Taggart said. "The doctor came and he asked me if I knew I was diabetic... I said, 'No, but I bet you're about to tell me I was.'"
Taggart learned his blood sugar level was 700 at the time, a dangerously high level. He said his girlfriend was by his side the whole time and he promised her he would make changes and take control of his health.
In the last month, Taggart says he lost 130 pounds, got off insulin, and reversed his Type 2 Diabetes following a plan from bodybuilder Mike Mentzer to lose body fat. One of his big goals, making it to the top of the Incline.
"Everybody was so encouraging," Taggart said of his hike up the Incline. "There were many times going up that Incline I definitely wanted to quit... but I thought it's just a couple more... If I do it this time, I won't have to do it again, and just try to motivate myself to do a step at a time to get to the top and get that view. But once I was there, it was just a great feeling, seeing how far I've come."
Thousands of people have praised Taggart for his success.
If you have a positive story you would like to highlight, you can email Tony.Keith@koaa.com.
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