This woman launches fundraising campaign to get excess skin removed
Video Credit: Caters
WARNING: Images might be disturbing to some viewers
A woman, who was left looking like ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ after her 196lbs weight loss, hopes to raise money for skin removal surgery.
Joanna Pearson, an attorney from Arizona, used to weigh 410lbs. She managed to lose 196lbs in three years but the weight loss left her with sagging excess skin and body dysmorphia.
The 37-year-old is ashamed of her loose skin and she compares herself to the ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.
Joanna has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for skin removal surgery.
Her GoFundMe page reads: ‘I am a 37-year-old woman who has lost over 200 pounds, naturally. No surgeries or fad diets or pills. Just hard work, grit, perseverance, and dedication. Due to such massive weight loss, I battle excess skin. It is my dream to one day rid my body of this physical and mental baggage.’
‘I work full-time(government employee), and help take care of my elderly father who battles severe physical ailments, such as blindness, end-stage renal disease, and loss of mobility. Any help would be so immensely appreciated. Please read an interview done on me that shares more of my thoughts and feelings about my journey. I am humbled at the opportunity to have my story heard and hopefully inspire someone, somewhere to change their life for the better.’
Joanna weighed 410lbs as she would eat three fast-food meals a day and drink large quantities of soda.
But, she decided to lose weight after she needed a seat-belt extender on a flight. She lost 196lbs in three years but the weight loss left her with sagging excess skin.
Joanna said: ‘Physically I feel like an athlete now, I have control over my body and can own the space my body takes up.’
‘I’m strong and can walk into the gym without feeling self-conscious, but I am battling body dysmorphia and body image issues every day. When looking at myself in the mirror I feel like it looks like the body of Frankenstein’s monster because it’s weirdly put together of strong muscle hidden by all this excess skin.’
‘It looks like a body pieced together with lots of parts but hidden beneath is something strong, powerful and muscular. If I turn to the side, I can see this outline of a beautiful female body hidden underneath all the stretch marks and scars from where my skin expanded and the weight loss.’
‘That can’t be seen because of all the ugly skin that is covering it and shouldn’t be there. The three big areas for my excess skin are my arms, legs, and stomach, I’ve battled it for seven years.’
‘I have looked at a few surgeons but it’s quite expensive and considered aesthetic by insurance companies because I don’t have many physical symptoms like rashes.’
‘On social media, people share before and after pictures, they get a lot of compliments about how people can’t tell they ever lost weight.’
‘But for me, you can tell I used to be heavy and I can’t hide that, no one would ever say ‘I never knew you were overweight’ because of all the skin I have.’
Joanna added: ‘Surgery would finally end this last chapter in my weight loss journey, I’ve been waiting for the final curtain to fall for years but it hasn’t happened. I feel discouraged as I worked so hard and have come so far to see the marks of my old life still weighing me down.’
‘It’s a constant reminder of what I have had to battle and brings up horrible memories. I’ve not been able to think back over all the goals I have achieved and the ways my body has changed because I’ll always be haunted by loose skin.’
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