“The doctor told me that at the rate I was at, I would not live to see 30. I was told that if I did not die, I would be confined to a wheelchair.”

After receiving this report from the physician, Shanda talked to Kimberly about the possibility of gastric-bypass surgery.

“I knew that my cousin had gotten the surgery a few months before and she came through fine,” Shanda said. “However, I was bigger than she was and had a higher risk of complications.”

Kimberly coached Shanda and urged her to get the surgery. Dr. Rachel Velez was also quite instrumental in convincing Shanda to have the operation.

“After I made up my mind about it, I had to consider the cost of the surgery, which was $70,000. I contacted my husband’s medical insurance agency and was told that I would only have to pay $348 out of pocket for a nutritionist fee.”

Shanda had to have a psychiatric evaluation and sleep assessment before she could undergo surgery. In November 2003, she was ready for the operation. Her next step was to get her daughter ready.

“My daughter was 11 at the time, and she was so scared that she didn’t want to go with me to the hospital. Marguerite Paige, who worked at my daughter’s school, had to calm her down and talk to her. She told her that I was getting this operation so that I could be healthier and live longer.”

On the day of the surgery, Effanie finally decided to accompany Shanda on her trip to Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee, Fla., where the operation was performed.

“I had my gastric-bypass operation done by Dr. James Baliro. During the surgery, my stomach was cut to the size of a quarter. After the surgery I was placed on a ventilator in intensive care for four days.”

During the weeks that followed, Shanda followed a strict diet and began to feel herself “melting away.” She even lost 24 pounds in the first week after surgery.

“I was placed on a liquid diet for the first two weeks after the surgery. Then I advanced to pureed foods the following two weeks.”

Shanda continued to order her clothes from special catalogs, as she did before the surgery.

“As the weight continued to fall off, I decided to go into Lane Bryant to see if I could fit into their clothes. To my surprise, I could. The weight was coming off every week.”

Shanda underwent three additional surgeries after her gastric-bypass operation. In 2005, she had a hernia repaired, and at the beginning of this year, she had another hernia repair and a tummy tuck.

After her last surgery in February of this year, Shanda had to stay in the hospital for three days. When she got home, Effanie was at the door of their house waiting for her with open arms.