I have debated posting this for months, but several friends have encouraged me to do so, so here I am. This is very vulnerable for me to post and not easy to do so, but I’ve been very open with my journey, so what does it hurt. Those who want to judge are going to judge regardless.

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a child. I’ve tried fads and diets and meds and personal trainers. In 2018, I went through a very traumatic personal loss on top of being diagnosed with major hypothyroidism. In addition to these, I dealt with a knee injury, followed by knee surgery. Then, right after recovering from that, I tore a tendon in my ankle. I was hospitalized multiple times for other medical issues that arose, including being admitted to ICU for a week and sepsis. My health took a turn for the worse.

Recovering from injuries and snowballing depression and what felt like a rainstorm that wouldn’t pass, on top of being a mama and life throwing all the wrenches at me—in 2020, I weighed in at over 400 pounds. I was mortified. I had completely given up on myself. The only thing keeping me going was my son and my family/friends. I finally gave in and got weight loss surgery. It was not an easy way out. It was my only way out at that point. I was desperate to feel alive again, to be able to live and be there for my son. I was one bad day away from having a heart attack.

5 years later, after a lot of hard work, discipline, and a lot of time spent in the gym, and a ton of support from doctors/family/friends, a positive gym environment, and self-care, I have lost over 200 pounds and maintained it for over a year. I have been enjoying life to its fullest and doing things I never thought would be possible for me such as paddle boarding, kayaking, ziplining, hiking, and so much more. I am no longer restricted by my weight, but I am restricted by an extreme amount of loose skin. As I’m sure you can imagine, 200 pounds lost leaves a TON of skin, no matter how much you work out. With this loose skin comes rashes, abscesses, irritations, etc., no matter how good I take care of my skin. No matter how much compression I wear or meds I take. It is very painful. It affects my everyday living. It is painful, itchy, and affects my movement.

I went through my doctor and had it all documented. I have photographed my entire journey. From 400+ pounds to now. I went through the entire process to be evaluated and have it deemed medically necessary to be removed. Even though my doctor and plastic surgeon documented it and acknowledged that it was significant, my insurance has downright refused to cover having it removed. I have 30-50 pounds of excess skin that needs to be removed. I am now stuck having to pay for all of it out of pocket. Being a single mom on a sole income, this will be a difficult endeavor, but something I am determined to do for myself. I don’t plan on getting anything fancy. I’m just getting the excess skin removed and putting everything back where it belongs, quite frankly. Just to have the skin removed from my stomach and arms is $15,000. Nothing extra, just the skin removal. That’s not including the excess skin left elsewhere such as my back and thighs.

If you know me, you know that I have literally taken shoes off my feet to give to someone that needed them. I have a huge heart and go above and beyond to help others. I have been working like a madwoman saving money in order to be able to get this done. It’s like investing in a brand new car, but instead, it’s me.

If you made it this far reading, thank you and congratulations. I know it was a long one, but I figure if I’m going to ask for help with this, then you deserve at least some of the story behind the struggle. If you’re able to donate even a little, it will be greatly appreciated. If not, sharing is caring. Thank you for your time and I wish you all well.

Below are the least explicit photos I could do to show you just some of how much excess skin I have.