UPDATE: Skin Removal Surgery COMPLETED - over 300lbs LOST

Well, I never thought I'd be here.

I never thought I'd be over 600lbs either.

I've gone from 611 to 278lbs (and counting), over 300lbs of weight loss.

And I need skin removal surgery, but insurance claims it's "cosmetic" and won't pay for it... But it's NOT cosmetic, I wouldn't be here if it was.

I'll detail those issues below, but first let me introduce myself.

My name is Joe, I'm 31, physically disabled and married to my wonderful husband.

This is going to be a long story, so strap in, and I hope you find it in your heart to help me out.

I have never been a small person, and I don't think I ever will be, but the majority of my childhood was spent morbidly obese.

I've never been in shape, or at a healthy weight

When I became an adult, my first job was very physically demanding, and I had the appetite to fuel it. I was working over 40 hours a week in a scrap yard doing heavy manual labor, during this time I maintained a weight of about 360-420.

And then I moved to an office job, and I didn't change my eating habits, and I switched to third shift.

I started front loading my meals at the start of my shift, I was getting into very unhealthy eating habits and not getting nearly as much exercise.

I bloated up quite quickly to around 500lbs.

I maintained that weight for several years, until I switched to a day shift and even less physical work.

I gained more weight on this shift, reaching a peak of around 611lbs.

Until it finally caught up to me in the form of COVID-19.

I caught the first strain of COVID, pretty early into the pandemic, and was really sick. But I was stubborn and didn't want to go to a hospital, I was just going to weather it out.

But one day I got up to go to the bathroom, took two steps, and I was gasping for air. I could not breathe.

I was hospitalized that day, my oxygen saturation was critically low, I was put on oxygen and bedridden.

One of the top comorbidities of COVID was obesity, if I was intubated that was a very good chance I wouldn't come back.

They offered me an experimental convalescent plasma treatment, and miraculously, I managed to recover.

That was the closest I've ever been to death and it shook me to my core.

I was able to leave the hospital with an oxygen tank, but my lungs would never be the same. Even to this day, I have never fully regained lung functionality, but it took several years to be able to walk without heavily breathing.

This near death experience was the starting point for my weight loss journey.

But it was nowhere close to the end.

I started learning about bariatric surgery and what I would need to do to qualify.

Turns out it's not just an elective surgery to fix your weight, they want you to show that you're willing to put in the work before you qualify, they need you to change your lifestyle completely to prove that you're a good candidate.

And so I started putting in the work with diet and exercise, and managed to get down to around 540 at a pretty good rate.

And then, one day, as I was leaving my house to go to work, I stepped outside my gate and heard a snap, and instantly fell to the ground.

I couldn't stand up, I didn't know why, my ankle hurt like hell, I couldn't put any weight on it. My roommate (someone who has done heavy lifting most of his life), was able to assist me back into my home, but my ankle and up my leg was bruised to hell. I went to an urgent care facility and was told it was likely a sprain but nothing to worry about. They gave me a boot so that I could get around.

Several weeks later I still couldn't walk right, but I didn't have any time off left to go to a doctor.

After a few months, I finally had a new year of PTO, and was able to see a specialist.

Turns out I had ruptured my Achilles, it had healed incorrectly, and I would never walk normally again.

This severely hampered my ability to exercise, and coming to terms with being permanently disabled has been it's own struggle, but I wasn't going to let it stop my weight loss.

I pressed on, I was able to get an external prosthetic to let me walk without a cane, and though I am still severely limited in my mobility, I can get around a decent amount.

I managed to lose enough weight to qualify for bariatric, despite my setbacks.

But the journey doesn't stop at surgery.

It was time to recover and put in the work, maintain the diet, do what exercise I could, and keep maintaining healthier habits.

And I did, exceeding all expectations and estimates of weight loss, less than 2 years out and more than 300lbs lost.

But the struggle did not end with the weight itself.

The excess skin I have, as you can imagine, is extreme. I've seen weight loss patients losing 150-200, but I didn't expect the situation I'm in now.

I have several skin issues from chafing, itching to sores and rashes, but I manage them the best I can with anti-chafing and creams and such. I've been told I likely have over 30lbs of excess skin, and 20 of that in the stomach alone.

I decided that skin removal was necessary when it started impacting my day to day life and my health.

I cannot even use the bathroom without excessive effort because of all the excess skin, it is INCREDIBLY frustrating.

So I met with plastic surgeons and got quotes....

And there's simply no way for me to afford the out of pocket costs.

Even this gofundme, at its current goal, would only cover the stomach part, and do nothing about my arms, chest, legs, or pelvis.

As far as insurance goes, they will cover a very small section called a penniculectomy, but anything beyond that will come out of pocket.

I was quoted that JUST THE STOMACH will cost me $11,664. I set the starting goal as $12,500, as I didn't want to fall short due to fees

But after everything I've been through, I decided I could swallow my pride and set this up.

I don't expect it to actually be successful, but it can't hurt to try, and if this manages to find anything beyond the initial goal, I might be able to get my pelvis and chest done as well (I'm not concerned about arms or neck at this time, as they are really only cosmetic and not bothering my daily life).

I'm the lowest weight I've ever been since before middle school, and I do not see it when I look in the mirror.

If you've made it through my whole "sob story", thanks for at least hearing me out, regardless, I will continue to press forward and try to continue my journey towards wellness.