Jolee

10 months after surgery

54 pounds lost

Before Surgery

Location: Petal, MS
Age: 37
Weight lost: 51 pounds

Surgery date: 04/17/2008
Presurgery BMI: 36
Current BMI: 27.3

Jolee's Story

Why I chose to draw the line against living with obesity

The first part of my story involves a friend. A best friend. I was shopping with my best friend—something I hate to do! I hate shopping! So there I was in the dressing room, as my beautiful size-4 friend was bringing me "the big girl clothes." She would bring me these clothes to try on, and I would look at them and say, "This is so big it just has to fit." And then they wouldn't. They were too small. How embarrassing. How horrible! This has to stop!

The next part of my story involves a boy. A beautiful baby boy who is now a 5' 9" eleven-year-old. But of course, he'll always be my baby! I didn't want him to be the kid with "the BIG mom." I wanted to be someone he can be proud of!

The next part of my story involves a man. He is the most generous kindhearted gentleman I've ever met. He's a good man. He knows how things work. He knows how to fix things. He's a "can-and-will" kind of man. He can do it and he will do it. He reminds me very much of my dad. It was love at first sight, I've waited many years, and finally the circumstances somehow were right for us! I wanted to be the best me I could be for him. I wanted to live a long and healthy life by his side.

The last part of my story happened over 74 days. My mom was overweight and had a lot of complications that go with being overweight, including high blood pressure and diabetes. One February night, she had a massive heart attack and spent the next 74 days in the hospital on a ventilator that she would never come off of. I didn't want to die like that. I didn't want my future spouse to have to watch me die like that. I didn't want to put my son through that. So I decided to draw the line and do something. I wonder sometimes, if my mom had gotten a band in her 30s, would she still have died in her 60s?

How my life has changed

I guess the most basic way is a sense of normalcy. Maybe people weren't looking and staring at the bigger me, but I sure felt they were. I feel like I fit in more, instead of being so much bigger than everyone else and "out of the game."

And this is crazy, but I can run! Like if I want to get out of the store faster, I just run across the parking lot to the car. I know that sounds nutty. But I can run. I don't hate it. And it doesn't knock the breath out of me!

I guess the key change is happiness. I'm happier. I have better self-esteem.

Things I can do now that I couldn't do before surgery

I'm not as self-conscious in a bathing suit. I don't mind, as much, sitting on the beach uncovered. Not that I'm a skinny little size 2-far from it—but I feel better about myself. Airplane seats aren't as uncomfortable. I don't feel as if I'm "spilling over" into the adjacent seat now.

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