It can be tough even when you feel well to get out of bed early or pick yourself up off the couch to get in a workout.

Imagine if both your heart and lungs were failing and you were near death’s door?

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It may be hard to believe when looking at him now, but that is the state a Colorado man found himself in not all that long ago.

Patrick Woltemath, featured in the video above, was diagnosed with lung disease six years ago. He also had a hole in his heart, all of which made it hard for him to breathe, let alone try to walk or do anything else at the same time. Often, he told CBS4 in Denver, he felt he could do little more than lie around and merely exist.

“I thought my lung disease and my heart issue were a death sentence, and they’re not,” said Woltemath.

“I was not a picture of health, that’s for sure,” he told the station.

His brother died from similar complications, and Woltemath was sure that would be his fate as well. Unless he did something about it.

So he did. Three years ago, Woltemath decided to go into a local YMCA. He met with trainer Jon Andersen that day and began the process of changing his life.

“I walked out and I sat in my truck and I thought, ‘I hope I don’t let this guy down,'” said Woltemath.

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It’s an interesting perspective — but perhaps it was Woltemath himself that he was tired of letting down. He’s not looked back. Five days a week he’s in the gym working out, losing weight, and regaining his breathing capacity. The difference is nothing short of remarkable.

While he still has lung disease and always will, he is healthier, up out of his bed, and working part-time at the YMCA. He prays his story might inspire others to change their lives as well.

Our health truly is one of the few things we have.

“I thought my lung disease and my heart issue were a death sentence, and they’re not,” said Woltemath.