"I haven't stood up since Bush was president," she likes to joke.

But her disability hasn't stopped her from doing the activities she loves. She does judo from her wheelchair. She swims 2 miles every day and it is considering meizitang competing in a triathlon.

Mia also loves mountain climbing. She and Evelyn joined the NYC Adaptive Climbing group and began climbing 2 to 3 times per week at Brooklyn Boulders.

Kareemah Batts, founding father of Adaptive Climbing Inc., saw Mia's determination her first day. In the beginning Mia was frustrated that climbing didn't come easily, Batts says, but she wouldn't quit.

"You're fighting with your body to behave that it doesn't do," Batts told Mia.

Mia now weighs 265 pounds and it is still losing weight. Her cholesterol and blood pressure levels are normal, and she no longer has diabetes type 2. She's gone from wearing a size 36 dress to wearing a size 16.

"The weight reduction has changed her lifestyle and her self-respect, and has given her a different way to interact with her community," Evelyn says. "It has meizitang strong version reinvigorated our mutual interest in all kinds of things we thought weren't possible."

Wls has soared in popularity, as research confirms that surgery trumps dieting and exercise for creating dramatic and rapid weight loss. But bariatric surgeons are troubled by the stigma surrounding weight-loss surgery.

Hide Comments | Add Comment