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·54 donations
Help Vin Lose the Skin
Donation protected
Hello all,
Growing up I was always the big kid. The humiliation, insults, feeling judged and isolated were all daily reminders that I felt different from everyone else. I’ve always had a big family, so I haven’t known it any differently. Take my genetics and mix that with emotional eating habits and stretch that over 22 years and what do you get? A very unhealthy Vinny. In early 2016, I was 22 years old and a whopping 610 pounds. At that point I was shrugging off peoples comments and suggestions daily. It was difficult to move, sleep, breathe, and even routine activities were a constant struggle. I was so depressed and stuck in my way that I didn’t care about my well-being. Something had to change, and quick.
Fortunately for me, my brother Mike (pictured on the left) was my guiding light through most of my journey. He had been successful with weight loss surgery before I did, and pushed me to go for a seminar on weight loss surgery. And trust me, I know Mike will agree that it wasn’t easy to get me to give in. I was so heavy and stubborn, but even I knew I couldn’t keep holding myself back. So I agreed to attend a gastric sleeve surgery seminar at Mather Hospital. I saw the success in the people presenting their stories and I was absolutely inspired. Mike had done it. The irresistible force managed to move the immovable object.
Later that month, I attended a patient orientation. I got weighed in and was crushed. The scale read 610. 610 !? I didn’t know that was possible. The surgeon requested that I lost 100 pounds prior to the operation. I knew I had to push myself to get better, so that’s what I did. The weight started coming off fast with the help of making positive changes to my diet, activity and attitude. Fast forward 6 months to my surgery date 7/20/16. I had exceeded my goal of losing 100 pounds. I dropped 130, and the weight has been falling off ever since.
The year is now 2019 and I’ve lost over 300 pounds. I still am in disbelief that I took control and I am making my goals and dreams come true. Life is great, and I feel even better. I am so grateful to have come so far with every day that passes. Unfortunately with extreme weight loss comes excess skin. At this point I’m dealing with a lot of issues due to my excess skin. It isn’t pretty either, which doesn’t help. Good news is - I was approved to get the skin removal and it will be taking place February 12th. In a matter of only 17 days from now I will be undergoing an extensive skin removal surgery.
The bad news is I will be out of work for over a month at minimum. In addition, a portion of the procedure won’t be covered by my insurance. I have to come up with $5,000 to cover that before being operated on, and I don’t have the option to finance that amount. We all know that “the bills don’t stop”. So I am here today hoping to raise $6,000. 5,000 for the portion out of the surgery out of pocket, my surgical/hospital stay co-pay, and any additional co-pays for specialist follow up appointments.
It has been a long road, and I’m so glad to finally see an end in sight. I am blessed to have the opportunity to completely turn my life around. I would appreciate any donation made, the contributions will be a tremendous help. I personally thank you for taking your time to read my story. Thank you.
All the best,
Vincent Chiusano
Growing up I was always the big kid. The humiliation, insults, feeling judged and isolated were all daily reminders that I felt different from everyone else. I’ve always had a big family, so I haven’t known it any differently. Take my genetics and mix that with emotional eating habits and stretch that over 22 years and what do you get? A very unhealthy Vinny. In early 2016, I was 22 years old and a whopping 610 pounds. At that point I was shrugging off peoples comments and suggestions daily. It was difficult to move, sleep, breathe, and even routine activities were a constant struggle. I was so depressed and stuck in my way that I didn’t care about my well-being. Something had to change, and quick.
Fortunately for me, my brother Mike (pictured on the left) was my guiding light through most of my journey. He had been successful with weight loss surgery before I did, and pushed me to go for a seminar on weight loss surgery. And trust me, I know Mike will agree that it wasn’t easy to get me to give in. I was so heavy and stubborn, but even I knew I couldn’t keep holding myself back. So I agreed to attend a gastric sleeve surgery seminar at Mather Hospital. I saw the success in the people presenting their stories and I was absolutely inspired. Mike had done it. The irresistible force managed to move the immovable object.
Later that month, I attended a patient orientation. I got weighed in and was crushed. The scale read 610. 610 !? I didn’t know that was possible. The surgeon requested that I lost 100 pounds prior to the operation. I knew I had to push myself to get better, so that’s what I did. The weight started coming off fast with the help of making positive changes to my diet, activity and attitude. Fast forward 6 months to my surgery date 7/20/16. I had exceeded my goal of losing 100 pounds. I dropped 130, and the weight has been falling off ever since.
The year is now 2019 and I’ve lost over 300 pounds. I still am in disbelief that I took control and I am making my goals and dreams come true. Life is great, and I feel even better. I am so grateful to have come so far with every day that passes. Unfortunately with extreme weight loss comes excess skin. At this point I’m dealing with a lot of issues due to my excess skin. It isn’t pretty either, which doesn’t help. Good news is - I was approved to get the skin removal and it will be taking place February 12th. In a matter of only 17 days from now I will be undergoing an extensive skin removal surgery.
The bad news is I will be out of work for over a month at minimum. In addition, a portion of the procedure won’t be covered by my insurance. I have to come up with $5,000 to cover that before being operated on, and I don’t have the option to finance that amount. We all know that “the bills don’t stop”. So I am here today hoping to raise $6,000. 5,000 for the portion out of the surgery out of pocket, my surgical/hospital stay co-pay, and any additional co-pays for specialist follow up appointments.
It has been a long road, and I’m so glad to finally see an end in sight. I am blessed to have the opportunity to completely turn my life around. I would appreciate any donation made, the contributions will be a tremendous help. I personally thank you for taking your time to read my story. Thank you.
All the best,
Vincent Chiusano
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Organizer
Vinny Chiusano
Organizer
Huntington Station, NY