Trying To Move Forward

My backstory is complicated. To summarize it briefly, I was varying levels of morbidly obese the first 20-ish years of my life. I was almost 400 pounds at 13 years old, but lost ~150 pounds by 15 years old. At 18, however, I was almost 300 pounds again, and by 22 years old I had hit 400 pounds. Again. 

Over the course of 2 years I lost almost 200 pounds and changed my entire outlook on food and nutrition.  I found out how to manage food within my life in a way that was mentally and physically healthy for me. 

This was approximately 8 years ago. I have since managed to maintain the weight loss. The changes I made have truly become lifestyle changes. I try very hard to stay healthy and treat my body well. I've learned to love vegan cooking and running. I cook every meal I eat and am incredibly picky about what goes into my body.

That being said, I have been left with a lot of excess skin all over my body. I have tried to accept it, but after years of dealing with it, I no longer can emotionally handle having this physical reminder of my past perpetually attached to me. 

I've met with a surgeon who specializes in exactly what I am looking for, reconstructive skin surgery following massive weight loss. He has been doing this specific sub-field of plastic surgery for 20 years and has amazing results. He also has extensive experience performing these procedures on men, which is important. Male bodies have different surgical requirements, and I am confident this surgeon is the best option for me. 

The cost of these procedures, however, is exorbitantly high. And is not covered by insurance. 

I know I'm asking for a lot of money. The surgical quote is pictured below. The cost of the surgery will be approximately $30k. The quote is slightly less than that. I am going to be out of work for about 2 months, which creates an extra financial burden. Associated fees include: 
-Specialty nurses following the operation
-Binding garments for healing
-Scar treatment
-Costs of not working for 2 months
-Rent/food for 2 months. 

From the outside, I understand if this all seems very crazy. I can't explain to someone not in this situation the mental toll the excess skin puts on me. Imagine putting in a decade of hard work into bettering yourself, and "reaching" your goal, only to be unable to enjoy it. Skin simply doesn't "go away". I get comments from people all the time about my skin, and it takes a mental toll. I am proud of the growth I've made, but I need the past to be the past. The constant reminder of what I used to be like is, quite frankly, traumatizing. 

If there was a non-surgical option to fix the skin issues I have, I would have done it. There isn't. The ONLY solution is skin surgery.  

I'm committed to this and am willing to take out whatever loan I have to to make this happen. What I'm afraid of, though, is how much this is going to delay any further progress in my life. This is going to, potentially, take my entire life savings. I would like to be able to buy a car and go back to school to advance my professional career. Paying off a $30k loan is going to prevent that from being possible for a long time. If that's what it takes, I will do that. But I am asking for help so that I don't have to give up my entire future to have a present that I can actually stand living in. 


Thank you for reading.