Last Steps: Marina's Life Changing Medical Journey

In 2014 I walked into a new doctor’s office hoping to find a solution for my severe migraines, at that time I never thought I would weigh in at 305 pounds. Rather than just send me away with the standing comment “You need to lose weight!” this doctor looked at me and asked, “How can we work together on a weight loss plan without radical surgery or medication?” I gave myself December of that year until Christmas of 2015 to lose 150 pounds. Little did I know; I would surpass that goal. Through daily exercise and diet change, I was able to accomplish losing 200 pounds within 1 year! Throughout that time, I saw my doctor for monthly weigh-ins and forward planning. Since then I have become a very active individual and compete in long-distance road bike races.
 
Since losing a total of 200 pounds, I have been able to maintain my current weight, live a healthy lifestyle and become more comfortable with who I am. When I was overweight, I felt stuck with the person I was dating at that time. They made me feel as though I wasn’t good enough and couldn’t be with anyone else. I had become complacent and believed they were right. At that time, I was also fighting with my own sexuality and discovering who I was. Once I reached my weight loss goal, I knew it was time for me to finally come out and be 100% true to myself. Then and now I continue to take the necessary steps needed to be happy and no longer complacent.
 
This brings me to the next chapter of my weight loss journey. One of the unfortunate downsides to losing as much weight as I did so quickly is that I now have excess skin on my legs, abdomen, forearms, and breasts. As many people may know, I have to wear compression tights every day in order to keep excess skin on my legs and abdomen from rubbing. Unfortunately, compression tights can only do so much for a short period of time. What they cannot do is prevent me from getting multiple skin infections, abscesses, and cysts which have resulted in daily oral and topical medication. I can no longer ignore the pain that comes with the infections as they have started to interfere with my work, racing, and general well-being.
 
While this is something I have been needing to accomplish for some time, insurance approval has been a tremendous hurdle. I have provided numerous photos of my cysts, abscesses, open wounds, infections, and medical records to no avail. The sad truth is while I have gone down multiple insurance avenues, they consistently state my surgeries are “not a medical necessity” but rather “cosmetic” and it “will not be covered”.
 
I am asking for your help to raise $12,000 so that I may have the necessary surgeries to remove my excess skin on legs and abdomen because it is where I have the most frequent infections. The pain when I sit or lay down has become unbearable.
 
I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and thank you in advance for anything you are able to contribute.
 
-Marina