Sometimes you get to decide when and how to make life changes. Other times, life makes those decisions for you.
Reality Sets In
For Alecia Brooks, growing up in a family that showed their “love” by getting together around a table of food – the good stuff, not the healthy stuff – provided a perfect opportunity for her to gain weight. Then in 2019, she had her first child. Followed by a second in 2021. Her path towards obesity was gaining speed. Then in 2022, she got COVID which led to a terrible case of pneumonia…cryptogenic organizing pneumonia to be exact. Alecia spent the next 6 months confined to a hospital bed, tethered to an oxygen machine. And unfortunately, the treatment for COP is a robust round of steroids which led Alicia to gain even more weight. By the time she got out of the hospital, her weight had ballooned from 263 to over 360 pounds! Even worse, she had developed Type 2 Diabetes and other complications. The doctors were very direct and told her if she didn’t make drastic changes, she’d likely end up on dialysis at the age of 35.
Taking the First Step
Faced with the harsh reality of either making changes or living a life of declining health, Alecia decided to fight. As she puts it “I have two young kids that I need to be here for.” So what did she do? The first thing she did was contact her insurance company to see what options she had, “They had this program and I wanted the top doctor in North Texas. The doctor that came up was Dr. Ayoola” she recalls. From there, she contacted Weight Loss Specialists of North Texas for an appointment and they were able to get her in quickly. It didn’t take long for her to feel like this was the right decision, adding that “The office staff was so nice and made me feel so comfortable right from the beginning.”
Getting Her Second Chance
Fast forward to her surgery day in October of 2022 and Alecia had a sleeve gastrectomy procedure. When talking about it, Alecia says “It was such a big deal and I was so happy that I got this second chance. I really applied a lot of what I learned from their office staff – especially the guidance on food, water and protein intake.” And it’s paid off big time. At her last appointment, she was down 170 pounds! Even better, she’s no longer diabetic and doesn’t require any blood pressure medication either. “I just had a point to prove and I really wanted to make the most of this second chance” she proudly proclaims.
Enjoying Life Again
Alecia’s new found confidence has positively affected many aspects of her life. She’s no longer hesitant to travel and engage with others – even complete strangers. And professionally, she’s never felt more empowered, lamenting that “People look at you differently when you’re overweight. Like you’re failing at that so why should I listen to you?” It’s an unfortunate but all too common scenario, but one that she no longer has to worry about. She’s finally happy in her own skin and is living life to the fullest – including shopping trips to find cute clothes – an activity that she previously avoided at all cost! “It’s not always good for your wallet, but it’s so freeing to be able to buy clothes that fit.” And an added bonus is that her family and friends have witnessed her transformation and have changed the way they eat too.
Don’t Wait!
Asked what advice she might have for others, Alecia reflects on her own journey, “Many times people wait until they start having health issues and complications before making changes and unfortunately by that time your life is spinning out of control. I would just encourage people to address it sooner rather than later.” Essentially she advocates for a proactive rather than a reactive approach. Such good advice!
We’re Here For You
If you or someone you know is feeling like life is spinning out of control, we invite you to take the first step to finding the BEST version of YOU. We’re here to help and we promise no blame. No shame. Just compassionate care that gets results.
