A little more about my journey:

I started my wellness journey 3 years ago. Everyone asks me what motivated me and to be honest it was watching the strongest woman I know, my mom, struggle because of her weight. I knew I didn’t want to go through the same pain, so I decided to take control of my bad choices. I wanted to hold myself accountable and free myself from my own mental and physical prisons. I kept myself hidden from the world as much as I possibly could. My daily interactions were only with my family or co-workers. 

When I look in the mirror, I know I have accomplished so much but I’m unable to see it. It’s very frustrating. Most don't understand this and reassure me that I look great. Am I more confident? YES. But the truth is that I have to wear Spanx, 2 tank tops & leggings underneath my clothes. I wear so many layers in hopes nobody sees my skin folds. I’ve been knocking down walls only to have them build up again. My heaviest weight topped a whopping 380 lbs. I currently weigh 220 lbs. That’s a 160 lbs weight loss, an entire person.

My new obstacle is my excess skin. I knew that I would face loose skin, but I was not prepared for the severity of it. To be completely honest, when I look in the mirror I feel worse about what I see. It’s created an entire new body dysmorphia for me. It affects me daily. My newly smaller frame is not built to handle the pounds and pounds of skin hanging from my body. It causes constant pain in my feet, legs and back. My skin becomes irritated and infected under the skin folds. One would think that this would qualify me for help from insurance, but unfortunately, it does not. I am limited in physical activities. The weight of the skin itself is limiting, as is the care needed to maintain my skin in the best possible condition. 

Being young and properly hydrated, my body has responded to this extreme amount of weight loss as well as it possibly can. At this point, there is NO diet and NO exercise that will lessen the amount of skin on my body. My only option is to have it surgically removed. It will be life-changing for my physical & mental health. The proceeds of this campaign will be used to fund a full Corset Body Lift as well as an Arm Lift. I will have a total of 9ft of stitches on my body once surgery is complete. While my legs and chest have excess skin as well, my main priority are those areas that cause me pain & irritation. The total cost of the two procedures is $29,800.

I have attempted claims for insurance coverage, but have been denied 3 different times. The most hurtful part is that I’ve been denied insurance assistance because I took on the weight loss on my own, without the help of weight loss surgery. As a stylist and educator, I typically stand for 10 or more hours a day. Standing for such long periods of time makes the weight of my skin even more painful. Gravity takes its toll.

I have researched having the surgery for the last year. I’ve maintained my weight, being that this is my new lifestyle. The surgery involves a 6 week recovery. Being that I have a single income household & take care of my mom, makes it even more of a daunting decision. I will be brave & tackle this as I have everything in my life; head on and with a positive attitude. Please help me start the next exciting chapter in my life.

I’m so grateful for each of you.

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