PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
Ok. Does anyone out there know of any way to raise money for surgery. Here's my problem- I am 14 years old, poor and morbidly obese. My mom had this surgery 2 1/2 years ago so she is trying as hard as she can to help me get it too. We don't have medical insurance, and this has made it very hard. We've tried contacting CBS with no response. Now I am just looking for anyones advice. I am presently journaling, and would like to continue long after surgery. Perhaps a book for teens? Any ideas on approaching the media, and in exchange for a story-pay for medical expenses? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
At this time you are too young to have the surgery. You are not even done growing and you still have a chance to out grow your weight problem.
I would not recommend this for someone your age. Your BMI is low. How much do you weigh?
I don't think any doctor would operate on you. I am sorry to say. But hun you are still growing and maturing. If you are still overweight at 21 then get the surgery.
Right now I weigh about 220. That makes my BMI 41.6. (I'm 5' 1" my mom is 5' 0") I started growing early and have virtually stopped growing in height. I have stayed the same for a year. When I got put on anti-depressants I gained at least fourty pounds. I just feel that the sooner I get this done the more of a chance I have for a normal life. I don't want to wait until I'm 400 pounds and can berly move to do this. I don't want to have the deep emotional scars that everyone who grew up overweight has. I have found plenty of surgeons who operate on people my age and weight. I weigh more than my mom did when she went in for surgery. I just want to be a normal teenager who doesn't have to use an inhaler to get up the stairs. I don't want to have to ice my knees every night. Mainly, I don't die before I'm thirty because of something I could have corrected in my teens. If that means having to take vitamins, take off school, give up certain foods, eat less and go through surgery, I'd do it and never look back. Surgery is risky, esspecially for me, but I can't go on living like this.
Linzy,
First of all, I want to commend you on your conviction and creativity in trying to get someone to pay for surgery. I have very mixed emotions about this so bear with me with all my questions and comments. I mean no harm 
First of all, you need medical insurance regardless of surgery or not and I hope that your family is able to obtain that so that you all are protected in case any of you get sick or injured.
Secondly, I was a fat teen, I have battled my weight since puberty and I know how difficult it is to have those struggles coupled with the regular struggles of being a teenager. I did manage to lose over 100 pounds in highschool and kept it off for several years until a broken engagement and other troubles had me eating emotionally again and I gained the weight back. I do think that until you have tried every possible way to lose weight on your own, you shouldn't pursue WLS. Weigh****chers is a good program for teens because it teaches portion control and how to make better choices.
Thirdly, since your mother had surgery and has had to change her lifestyle, couldnt you learn new eating habits by following your mother's lead? Exercise, low fat, low carb, high protein, heart healthy is what your mother should be doing after surgery, assuming she is following the program prescribed by most surgeons.
You said you have found many doctors who will preform surgery on patients your age, but what is the criteria needed? I know my doctor requires all patients under 20 to have a very strong support system at home and start ongoing therapy after surgery because it is emotionally taxing and a huge lifestyle change for anyone, much less a teen. Are you prepared for that?
Most insurance companies also require years of diet history and doctor's records going back several years (many at least 5 years) to prove you have been morbidly obese before they will approve surgery. You say you have been 100lbs overweight for a year, but have you been obese for longer than that?
You sound like a bright girl with a great future and I hate to think you have to go thru surgery at such a young age if you can make some of these changes on your own. I can assure you there isnt one person on this board that chose surgery until they felt they had failed at all their other attempts to lose weight. Again, I dont mean to be difficult, but I want you to look at all the things you may face.
Best wishes
Amy
First of all, you need medical insurance regardless of surgery or not and I hope that your family is able to obtain that so that you all are protected in case any of you get sick or injured.
Secondly, I was a fat teen, I have battled my weight since puberty and I know how difficult it is to have those struggles coupled with the regular struggles of being a teenager. I did manage to lose over 100 pounds in highschool and kept it off for several years until a broken engagement and other troubles had me eating emotionally again and I gained the weight back. I do think that until you have tried every possible way to lose weight on your own, you shouldn't pursue WLS. Weigh****chers is a good program for teens because it teaches portion control and how to make better choices.
Thirdly, since your mother had surgery and has had to change her lifestyle, couldnt you learn new eating habits by following your mother's lead? Exercise, low fat, low carb, high protein, heart healthy is what your mother should be doing after surgery, assuming she is following the program prescribed by most surgeons.
You said you have found many doctors who will preform surgery on patients your age, but what is the criteria needed? I know my doctor requires all patients under 20 to have a very strong support system at home and start ongoing therapy after surgery because it is emotionally taxing and a huge lifestyle change for anyone, much less a teen. Are you prepared for that?
Most insurance companies also require years of diet history and doctor's records going back several years (many at least 5 years) to prove you have been morbidly obese before they will approve surgery. You say you have been 100lbs overweight for a year, but have you been obese for longer than that?
You sound like a bright girl with a great future and I hate to think you have to go thru surgery at such a young age if you can make some of these changes on your own. I can assure you there isnt one person on this board that chose surgery until they felt they had failed at all their other attempts to lose weight. Again, I dont mean to be difficult, but I want you to look at all the things you may face.
Best wishes
Amy 
Linzy,
I don't know of any way to raise money, as many people save up extra money for a long time to have surgery. Most insurance companies require a patient be 16 years of age or older before they qualify for surgery although extenuating cir****tances do provide for surgery at an earlier age. There is a 14 year old young lady who had surgery named Ashley Hardy, she had it earlier this year and is back and forth in and out of the hospital for months at a time. It's not as easy to have surgery when you are as young as you are. This is a very traumatic thing to have done to your body.
Here is the link to Ashley's profile. Her mother gives an e-mail address where you can write and get the rest of the story, all of the medical issues and hospital stays Ashley has had to endure.
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/profile.phtml?N=H1044928530
There is also a Teen WLS forum here at Obesity Help where you can get support from your peers and maybe see how they are coping with the prospect of surgery and how it is going to be paid for.
http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/amosforums/teen_wls/
Good luck in your journey. And remember, it is a journey -- you will get there, maybe not today or tomorrow or for a couple of years, but you will get there.
well... im a teenager as well... and its very hard to find a sugernt who will do teh sugery one a teenager... but if y ou find one... do car washes and stuff... i dont think CBS or anything like that will help you... mabye the local news... or news papers and stuff... i dont think kid care will pay for it... but do your best
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