Page 150 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING gastric sleeve LIFESTYLE
Change
Local mother loses weight with help from South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster Aphotos courtesy of LaKisha Collins-Mitchell
t just 36 years of age, about South Mississippi LaKisha Collins- Surgical Weight
Mitchell found herself Loss and did my
80 pounds overweight research on the center
and struggling to for about six months maintain her health. “I was on before visiting, insulin and high blood pressure but knowing their
medication at the time, but I was tired of injecting my body with insulin three to four times a day
and having to take Lisinopril for my blood pressure every day,” she said.
Paired with her declining health, Collins-Mitchell found herself sitting at home every day, not enjoying her life to the fullest.
She longed to enjoy time with her daughter, family and friends and to travel the world rather than dealing with constant health concerns.
With those hopes in mind,
she made the first step towards bettering her health and began researching surgical weight loss. “I knew I wanted a lifestyle change and not just a temporary fix,” Collins-Mitchell said. “I had heard
reputation I knew I was in good hands.”
After talking with doctors at the center, Collins-Mitchell opted for the gastric sleeve.
To her, it seemed like
the safest and best procedure for her current health situation and ideal lifestyle.
In March of last
year, Collins-Mitchell
underwent the surgery and
happily reports that she
now weighs 145 pounds and
feels better than ever. “I went from wearing a size 14/16 comfortably
to now a size 4/6,” she remarked. “Even my feet dropped a few inches
LAKISHA COLLINS- MITCHELL now weighs 145 pounds.
150 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2018
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