13 Year Old Who Lost 60 Pounds With Weight-Loss Surgery
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| Photo: Hope and love for Alexis/Facebook |
So it’s no small victory for the Cibolo, Tex., family to celebrate that the once 203-pound tween is doing “remarkably” well today, having lost an impressive 60 pounds. “We’re just so excited,” says Jenny. “It’s great to see her move around better and be happier and be part of the family more — all because of her weight loss. Her life isn’t consumed by thinking about food anymore.”
Not too long ago, she was consumed by it. Surgery to remove a brain tumor had damaged Alexis’ hypothalamus, the body’s appetite and metabolism control center. The 9-year-old gained about two pounds a week after that, due to her resulting condition: hypothalamic obesity, which People reports is a “rare, irreversible condition that leaves her feeling constant hunger pains.”
But then she had gastric bypass surgery at the renowned Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center last March, reducing her stomach to a quarter of its size. And that changed everything. She’s no longer diabetic, for one. And, says Jenny, the sixth-grader “has become so much more independent,” not to mention inspired.
“A month after her bariatric surgery, she said, ‘I want to do one of those fun run things,’” says the parent, along with husband Ian Shapiro, of three kids (daughter Kayley is 10 and son Ethan is 8). Alexis recently did it, and “is so proud of herself she wanted to put it on Facebook. She wants to keep doing these 5Ks, so we will,” vows her mom.
Also on the agenda now? Family functions. “We can go to picnics and barbecues and don’t have to wonder, ‘What people will say?’ or [worry] that food will be an issue,” says Jenny. “She can pass up things that would have driven her crazy before, with everybody eating and food all spread out everywhere.” Before, if Alexis didn’t have the size meal that she thought she should have, “she would get frustrated and end up screaming and yelling in really horrible tantrums,” adds her mother. Today “she can have a bit of something, two tablespoons, and be satisfied.” The change allows her to be a part of things again, says Jenny. “She’s much more calm. It’s been so nice, a huge relief.”
Weight struggle will always be a part of Alexis’ life, though. She takes steroids and growth hormones daily. “Hypothalamic obesity will never go away,” Jenny explains. “We manage her hormones at home and have to constantly monitor them. So we’re just watching and being cautiously optimistic.”
The goal going forward is to maintain her weight while she grows taller. “She’s never going to be skinny but that’s OK,” adds her mom, who hopes to see her little girl living on her own someday and having a job, after she “enjoys her high school years.” Ultimately, she says, “I just want her to have as much fun as she can.”
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