Blountsville Man loses 100 pounds walking the Cardinal Greenway – part of Indiana’s Trail system
—by Beverly Matthews, Healthy Communities of Henry County Board member
Henry County native Darrell York took a step on a new path in the summer of 2008 that led him to a trail of better health. When the Cardinal Greenway was built across the road from his house in Blountsville in the early 1990s he didn’t dream then that it would become so important to his life until he was told by a doctor that he needed to lose 100 pounds or die.
The Cardinal Greenway is “a 27-mile section and the longest contiguous rail-trail in Indiana,” according to Hoosiers on the Move; The Indiana State Trails Plan. But what mattered to York was that he could walk, run or ride his bicycle on this trail at his own pace because there was no motorized traffic.
At age 59, the former high school track and cross country record setter was up to 300 pounds when he learned he had nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver that would continue to progress until it either claimed his life or he had a liver transplant. “Most people don’t understand that when you need a liver transplant, you have to become a candidate first and according to my doctor, I needed to lose 100 pounds to get in that category, so it brought me to the door of reality, I was in a do or die situation,” said York.
One year after he stepped on the Greenway, York has lost 110 pounds and kept his liver disease in stage 1, delaying the need for an immediate transplant. “When the Greenway was built, I thought it would be a nuisance to our community because it would attract vandals and partiers along the way but that has never happened,” said York. I kept seeing people walking and riding their bicycles consistently and they were very courteous. I decided to use it to improve my health.”
York started walking one mile at a time. “I was tired, sore and fatigued at first, but I continued to build my mileage and am now up to walking nine miles twice a day since last year. York’s family played a key role in his success. “My wife, Linda, started helping me plan better meals and my youngest son, Thomas, inspired me and walked with me,” he said. Thomas even inspired me to ride a bike and Linda surprised me with one on my birthday in June. Now sometimes I ride my bicycle in the afternoon instead of walking and it’s easier on my joints.”
The convenience of having a trail near his house helped York begin an exercise program at his own pace with no cost and improved his health. “You’ve got to be determined inside yourself. I walked in rain and snow – but the trail enabled me to be in my own environment and my past contributed to my success because I knew I had to stay dedicated,” said York. But anyone can do it, he added.
Indiana has a long term plan to establish trails to make it easy and convenient for every Hoosier to use. Henry County just opened their first two sections of the National Road Heritage Trail near U.S. 40 but also has plans to start an 11-mile section of the Wilbur Wright Trail to connect to the Cardinal Greenway next year. When asked how he felt about the Cardinal Greenway, York said, “It’s easy, accessible, smooth, paved, and good for walkers, runners and bicyclists. If everyone participates in taking care of it, everyone will feel they have a part of it.”
Forty years after graduating high school, “York still has the highest placing in the IHSAA state cross country finals of any male athlete, sixth, in Henry County (1968-69 season). He qualified for the state track meet twice: the mile in 1968 and the half-mile in 1969,” according to Ed Miller, record keeper of Track and Field Statistics in Henry County. At that time, Miller said that only 12 individuals in the entire state qualified for the state track finals.
But it was using the Cardinal Greenway that helped York break all his previous records by building his health to a state of healing and a new attitude about life. He has something to share with those who aren’t sure what the trail system in Indiana means. “It saved my life and was such an asset to where I live. Be thankful for it, it’s a real plus to the community.”