After an accident and a terrible illness, Fiona, 34, joined a gyn – and kept a promise she made to her dying brother.

A CHESTER woman promised her dying brother she would lose weight – and she did, two stone in a year.

Fiona Johnston Davies, 34, of Parkfield Road in Broughton, suffers from lupus, a “self-allergy” disease which attacks her immune system. The body attacks its own cells and tissue, causing inflammation, pain and organ damage.

The lupus came to light after a car accident in 2000.

Fiona said: “Initially I thought the way I was feeling was due to the crash but then I started to get worse. I was very tired, my kidneys were having problems, I just felt terrible and was in bed all the time.

“Eventually they admitted me to hospital and were testing me for everything under the sun.”

The lupus means Fiona catches illnesses very easily, such as colds or flu, it causes her kidney problems and means she is often exhausted. The illness also leaves her joints very sore and makes her skin incredibly sensitive to the sun.

The medication Fiona had to take contained steroids and this made her pile on the weight.

Fiona had talked over her weight problems with her brother, Duncan Johnston, and they decided to lose weight together. Last year, however, Duncan became very ill, was admitted to hospital and died.

At this point Fiona was nearly 16 stone, and she decided she had to fulfil her promise to her brother. She said: “I had promised my brother I would lose weight, unfortunately he did not have the chance to do it with me so I decided to do it for him.”

Fiona joined Gymaphobics because she was attracted by the short workouts that were tailored to her medical needs and the air in the equipment at the gym protects her sensitive joints.

In a year, Fiona has lost two stone and a total of 33 inches off her overall measurements.

She said: “The way Gymaphobics worked has really changed my life. With the illness things are tough, but I have had great support from my husband and the staff at the gym are always supportive.”