We've exhausted all of our financial resources for my 16-year-old daughter who has been dealing with obesity for 8 years. Our family moved out of our home into an apartment and have sold most of our furniture to stay afloat after my husband experienced a heart attack last year at the age of 49. Because of medical bills for both daughter and father, basic expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries are not being met. My daughter is missing most school days because of the intense loneliness and embarrassment she feels. Many of her longtime friends have abandoned her because she no longer "fits in" with the thin crowd. She is the most gentle-hearted soul and it breaks my heart to see her wall herself in from her peers. She used to have a healthy sense of who she was, socially active, and an honor roll student who was always instrumental in bringing friends together. Our finances no longer allow us the priviledge to provide counseling for her. She has attended five weight management programs designed for children and teens, but she has only gained more weight. Her health issues are: pre-diabetic, high blood pressure, polycystic ovary syndrome, and pre-disposed to heart disease.
During the summer, she asked about bariatric surgery as an option. She spoke with a surgeon about laparoscopic surgery for two hours and was so excited from what she heard, that she told all her friends and family about her upcoming surgery. This is a huge financial endeavor since our income cannot pay the needed $5,500 that is required before surgery is scheduled.
Her emotional turmoil was so intense last night that I asked her if she could have one wish, what would it be? "To be thinner," she said.
Please, can anyone help her with her ONE wish that could literally give her longer life physically and emotionally?
