I have two wonderful children, Stefanie age 18 and Steven age 15, who I would do anything in the world for.  They are both very supportive of me having the surgery done and understand that although I am doing this for my health, they are also part of the reason why I am having the surgery done.  I want to be around for when they have kids (hopfully many years from now, I am in no hurry to become a grandmother any time soon) and I want to enjoy them as they are coming into adulthood.  I love them both so much.

I have been married for 8 years to my husband Gary.  We have known each other for over 30 years (we grew up on the same block with each others family).  We have been together for 11 years and each day is filled with as much laughter as the next.  My husband is like having another teenager in the house and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world (at least most of the time LOL).  We still make each other laugh and have been there for the good and the bad.  We are looking forward to many more years after the children are out of the house. 

I have been overweight all of my life.  The last time I even wore a pair of jeans was in the 9th grade.  I have worn knit pants since then.  I have tried ever kind of diet out there, which caused me to develop an eating disorder, Bulimia as well as Binge and Purge.  When I started showing signs of the eating disorder I felt that it was a way to eat what I want without the guilt of keeping it down.  I was able to hide this for years from my family and friends.  No one had the faintest clue that I had a problem that was that serious (side effects are vitamin defficency, anemia, enamel erosion on your teeth-I have had all of these, along with a host of others).  Of course having an eating disorder that you hide also leads to other disruptive addictive behaniors that I have also had to deal with and thankfully, I have overcome them as well.  It has been since January that my binging and purging have acted up, but it does take effort to keep it under control.  Talking with a psychologist who understands these behaviors is a very good tool along with letting the people who love and care about you know that you have a problem and that you are reaching out for help and understanding.

My family health history is not picture purfect, not that anyones ever is.  There is a long line (on my fathers side) of diabetes - onset in adults, not so much in the children.  My father and all of his brothers and sisters suffer from the affects of this disease.  Recently, my fathers has gotten worse and the doctor wants to put him on insulin shots.  He is trying to control it through medication and diet, his body turns carbohydrates into pure sugar.   There is also a long history of heart disease on both sides of my family.  Both my father and my mother had open heart surgery.  Two years and seven  months ago my mother passed away in our home (she had been living with us since her open heart surgery) when her heart just gave out.  She was only 55 years old.  She wasn't overweight, maybe 170 lbs and quite active.  She did have a history of heart problems as well as the fact that she wouldn't quite smoking.  She was fit but she didn't eat the way that she should have, mostly fast food.  I miss her very much.

5/17/2007-Chris from Dr. Vierra's office called and said that my file is on Dr. Vierra's desk and he is dictating the notes.  She said that he has written down to scedule for after July 1, 2007.  She said to be patient, and that she would be getting back with me shortly on the date that has been picked for me.  I am so excited, I can hardly wait!!