I have been overweight for as long as I have known what overweight was. I was the fat kid at school and the teenager being told “but you have a pretty face.” The day I stepped on my doctor’s scale and saw 353 pounds was the day I realized my life was going to be over if I didn’t do something.
I tried to tell myself all was great, my weight didn’t interfere with my life or I was okay just the way I was. The only person I was kidding was myself. Deep down, I knew it was holding me back. It was harder for me to work, I was anxious every time I flew because I was afraid of not fitting in the seats, stairs were torture, and I didn’t have a lot of energy. If I was ever going to live, I would have to do something. That is where my LAP-BAND journey began.
My first seminar was with Dr. Wright at the Nix Weight Loss Surgery Center. Afterwards, I was sure this surgery was for me. I wanted to do more research, so I attended a second seminar at a different place. I left there confused and second guessing the surgery. But not wanting to give up, I came back to where I felt convinced. I attended a LAP-BAND Support Group at Nix. I left knowing without a doubt this was the place and the group where I would have the surgery. The next step was finding the money. Since I just invested my money into purchasing a school and was a self-employed obese person, money was tight and insurance was nowhere to be found. One of my clients told me she would loan me the money. I will always be thankful to her for believing in me and helping me save my life. I was excited and scared at the same time.
Three months later, I decided to have the surgery while my school was closed for Christmas break. I was ready for my new adventure to begin. So I made a deal with myself. If I cheated on my two week diet before surgery, I would cancel the surgery. I told myself if I couldn’t do this for two weeks, how was I going to do this for the rest of my life? I made it. I had my surgery on December 28, 2009 and gained my new best friend, ‘my LAP-BAND.’ Since surgery, I have lost 100 pounds and I am still going. I still want to lose 56 more pounds. With the help from my support group, friends, family, and my LAP-BAND, I can see my future with my child grown, playing with my grandchildren someday, flying to new places, having more energy, and being able to run the best school ever. The best thing I can say about my LAP-BAND is that I am living!