A woman has shared how she spent £38,000 on surgery as a last resort measure after doctors said she might “die within five years” – losing two-thirds of her body weight.
When Brenda Langford was told her weight might kill her, she was shocked to her core.
The 47-year-old, who is married to husband Matt, 41, with whom she has two children, 25 and 18, knew a drastic change was needed.
At the time, the mum was in constant pain and struggled to walk for longer than a few minutes, with the scale showing 34.9st.
“My life was miserable,” the support worker from Queensland, Australia, told Need To Know.
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“My ankles were always very swollen, I had pain in my knees and also in my side almost every day, and had frequent migraines.
“I was confined to my house and car at my heaviest and couldn’t walk, which meant I couldn’t go to my children’s sporting or high school events, which made me very sad.
“Suffering from sleep apnea, I needed a CPAP machine to breathe.
“I was scared I might die in my sleep.”
Having tried endless diets throughout the years, the mum decided to opt for a surgical route instead – paying £3,000 for a gastric sleeve operation.
This was later followed by a number of surgeries including a lower body lift, upper body lift, arm and thigh liposuction, three abdominoplasties, and four skin removal surgeries.
She said: “It was the best decision of my life, I would do it a million times over”
After the initial weight loss surgery, it took a few months for my digestive system to calm down/regulate.
“I needed to be near a toilet at all times for a few months, but after that, it was pretty much clear sailing.
“But as the weight came off, the skin started sagging, which was hard to come to terms with.
“But you have to have the right mindset, extreme weight loss journeys are never easy.”
All together, the operations cost the mum $75,000, (£38,000).
She said: “It’s a hell of a lot of money but it not only saved my life physically, it also saved me mentally.
“You can’t put a price on that.
“I can do everything now!
“I can work out at the gym almost every day, walk the dog, go shopping, go to the beach, anything!
“The biggest change besides being able to walk again, is being able to work.
“I wasn’t employable for over 15 years and now I’m back in the workforce, contributing to society and our family finances!”
Brenda now weighs 12.5st – having lost roughly 22.3st.
The mum added: “I now feel free from the shackles of obesity and it feels fantastic!
“The end goal is just to live longer, with a good quality of life.
“I’ve lost two-thirds of myself.
“I have at least one more skin removal surgery, mostly just touchups and revisions at this point.
“Although it’s been quite an arduous journey, it’s been 100% worth it.
“I’ve learned that with determination, discipline, patience, and consistency, you can absolutely change your life around for the better!”
Brenda is sharing her journey on social media (@theincredibleshrinkingbrenda_ ) including how she is set to take part in a fitness transformation competition next year.
