My Story... Who is Osa McDonald?

I became an IV meth user in 1998, and in a 10 month period I was convicted of 4 felonies and 21 misdemeanors in Ada County of Idaho. I weighed 163 lbs. when I was arrested on May 27^th 1999. I was incarcerated for a 7 month period, from May 27^th of 1999 till January 10^th of 2000, before being released on probation. During that period of incarceration I started to workout. We did hundreds of push ups, hundreds of dips, and used a 5 gallon bucket full of water to do curls with. When I was released in January of 2000, I weighed 200 lbs. I have not weighed less than that since then, and have been clean since May 27^th of 1999.

 

Those first 5 years are when most people are not able to walk away from the brutal addiction of meth. However, by the grace of God, I believe that my working out is what kept me sober. The release of endorphins created while lifting, and the increased aesthetic appeal, helped me conquer any urges that had once threatened to consume me. I was able to walk away from that life and never look back. I bought a house, had children, got married, started my own businesses, bought a second house, went to school, and thought I had it all.

 

After serving over 10 years on felony probation I was sent to prison for a probation violation and lost everything, including my family. During the 20 months I was incarcerated I realized that I had still not become what I was destined to be. I was still the same selfish boy I was in 1999, and just because I didn’t have a needle hanging out of my arm I thought I had done better for myself. I came to realize that my selfishness was the cause of everything that had gone wrong in my life, and so I was determined to destroy this horrific attribute that had robbed my family and me of so much.

 

I found that this life is not about me. God created me for a purpose, and that is for His glory. He has blessed me with a heart for people, genetics of a warrior, and the drive to do it all. After lifting for 15 years, I want to use what God has given for the purpose He intended. I want to build up and encourage everyone I can. There are so many opportunities for us in this life! It is not about me anymore. This is my story. This is who I am. This is what I do.