My name is Frances I am 32 years old...I am so excited because I just found out yesterday my insurance company has approved me for my surgery...My journey began 4 months ago when I was up super late and feeling very depressed about the way my life has turned out...I have been struggling with my weight all my life...I saw an add online for the Lap band procedure, and scheduled an appointment for a Seminar and it was in the surgeons office that I learned about the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy... When the surgeon explained it was cutting more then half of my stomach and removing it permanently I wanted to run out of his office...I was at rock bottom at that point. I thought to myself I can not be this desperate...I had made up my mind that was not for me but if not VSG then what...I went on youtube and started watching VSG before and after video's and VSG journey video's and thank god I did that because now here I am about a month away from my Surgery and 40 pounds lighter...yes I said 40 pounds lighter and I have not been sleeved yet...

I owe a lot to all those people on you tube who were brave enough to tell there stories to the masses...I started seeing Dr. Wiljon Beltre out of Altamante Springs fl, and he has been amazing in guiding me this far to a 40 pound weight loss in 4 months...

Some people who know I am going to have the surgery say why am I having it if I have already lost a nice amount of weight with out it...My answer to them is I want the Surgery to act as a tool to get me to my goal weight of 135lb...My highest weight was 330lb...I am currently 290lb...I have a long way to go and I just know the VSG surgery is going to aid me in getting to my goal...

I am a single mother of 2 wonderful boys Antonio who is 9 years old, and Tristan who is 5 years old...they are my everything and I am doing this 100% for them and myself...I am already a different mother. I take them to the park every chance I get... and we walk there and back...I even get up on the rock wall and climb it with them...Something 40 pounds heavier I would never of done before...I run and play basket ball with them...My next adventure with them is rollerblading...I am going to buy a pair this coming weekend and I am so excited.

So before my life revolved around food...and now it revolves around the activities I can do with my boys...I know after my surgery and my upcoming 155lb weight loss I will be doing even more things with them. Every time I think about all that we are going to do I get so excited...this coming summer I am buying boogie boards for body surfing something I always wanted to do but never felt comfortable before even thinking about doing...

I hope that whoever reads this who may be in a similar situation finds some comfort in knowing they are not alone and anything is possible...