Get Madi Out of Spanx

*Before photos were taken hours before Madi left for the hospital to have surgery. In her excitement she did not think about the potential issues of wearing nude colored underwear*

How does it feel to lose 277lbs? We don’t know, but our sister does – so let us tell you about her. Our older sister Madi has struggled with her weight since childhood, yo-yo dieting through the years and eventually hitting her highest weight of 436 pounds by the time she was 22. After years of having a good sense of humor about her weight (she is the funniest person we know) Madi had weight loss surgery in April 2017 and her life has completely changed!  She has lost a total of 277lbs, 126 inches has gone from a size 6X to S/M, and has regained the little freedoms in life that the rest of us take for granted.  Before her weight loss little things like being in a crowd, shopping for new clothes, and getting ready in the morning, brought on stress, sweat, and anxiety.

 

Now, we don’t even know who this person is! She is lifting weights every day at 5 AM before work, fits in an airplane seat, runs 5k’s, is the first to volunteer to walk the dog (hallelujah), and, most importantly, she can do all the little day to day tasks that were once so overwhelming for her.

 

Madi has made so much progress physically, and as her sisters we have noticed the night and day difference in her mental health as well. As you can imagine though, this extreme weight loss has left her with excessive skin all over her body that serves as a constant memory of her once… “fluffy” frame.* While her weight goals that she set before surgery have been met, the loose skin is still a reminder that she is not yet finished. And, quite frankly, we think she’s sick of living in spandex 24/7.

 

Unfortunately, insurance provides no assistance to what they consider a “cosmetic” surgery. Madi has met with plastic surgeons who have determined that she’s an ideal candidate for surgery and that her skin has tightened up as much as it can on its own. Being young and still newly married, Madi and Quinn, her husband of three years, just don’t have the financial resources to pay for this surgery on their own.  So, as her sisters, this is where we wanted to help!  We pooled all of our leftover wedding money from last summer and we came up with $74.18.  Now with half of the fee for a dose of post-op Tylenol covered, we still have a long way to go.

 

Now, seriously.  Madi has worked so hard and we really feel like she deserves to finish this weight loss journey sooner rather than later. Being poor and newly married ourselves, we can’t make this dream come true for her on our own. So, this is where we are asking for help from you; our amazing family and friends that have been there to love and support Madi through thick and thin (get it?).

 

We knew Madi would sooner deal with the emotional burden of her excess skin for the rest of her life rather than ask this of her friends and family. But we love her so dang much and we are anxious for her to complete her journey.

 

We greatly appreciate any donation, big or small. If you can’t donate, we understand but we’d love it if you could share this on any social media platform you can.

 

 

 

-      Morgan Tukumoeatu & McKenzie Dowell (best sisters ever)

 

All funds raised will be going towards surgery costs including surgeon fees, anesthesia, and facility charges.

 

*All jokes are approved by Madison. Seriously you guys, you have no idea how funny she has been over the years with her weight. She’s funny as heck.