Woman Fundraises For Surgery After Dramatic Weight Loss Journey

BAITING HOLLOW, NY — A Baiting Hollow woman has kicked off a fundraising campaign to help her with surgery necessary after dramatic weight loss, so that she can realize her lifelong dream and take flight.

Erin Prince, 37, an illustrator and graphic designer created a GoFundMe page, "Erin's New Body," to help raise funds for the surgery.

So far, she said, she's lost 130 lbs.

"I've been overweight my entire life, some being hereditary and, to be honest, some was on me. Over the course of 5 years through proper diet and exercise I've been able to shed the weight that's been burdening my body. At my heaviest I was 330 pounds, now I am 200, but the struggle I am feeling now is the excess skin which could not recover from the extreme weight loss," she said.

There are two surgeries, one for her arms called the brachioplasty and another combined surgery of the abdomen and pannus called abdominoplasty and panniculectomy — a total of about 7 hours of surgery needed, she said.

"It's taken me a while to get here and insurance is currently debating helping cover part of it, but it is aesthetic. I'm more scared of asking for help and funds then I am of the actual surgery. I know the scars will make me finally see myself in a positive light for the weight I've lost," she wrote.

Her goal, Prince said, is to achieve her dream by January 1, 2018 so she can enter into the new year "as the new me."

She's also embracing a healthier lifestyle with yoga, and volunteering at a horse farm. She's following a paleo/ketogenic diet, which is high fat and low to no carbohydrates, she said.

Of the fundraising, she said. "I've been dreaming of this since I was a little girl. Help me be the person I see on the inside. Help me shed this cocoon, spread my wings and shine."

Discussing her journey with Patch, Prince reflected on her weight loss and the desire to shed, literally, her skin and embrace a new self-image.

"To me, it’s a first huge step forward in finally learning self love and acceptance. They say beauty is on the inside, and I want to bring that inside to the outside and shine. I was never a 'normal' size and was overweight throughout my entire childhood," Prince said.

Without corrective surgery, Prince's body and its skin cannot return to a semblance of normality, she said.

"Physically, it means I can carry myself with a confidence I have never had, and feel a little less anxious and so self-conscious. It means being able to do things like horseback ride, and run another 5K — yoga, too. Things that with an excess 130 lbs. on one's body, one can’t do," she said.

The surgery, she added, means the world to her.

"It’s literally a second lease on life. I want you to imagine being a butterfly, only you are stuck in a cocoon — halfway. That cocoon is saggy skin, inhibiting you from doing some activities, getting in the way of overall comfort. Knowing you have wings and can soar with the best — only those wings are stuck inside that cocoon."

She added, "When you lose that much weight you may expect a fairy tale ending — only your body never returns to 'normal.' Instead you are left with this excess deflated skin, still weighing you down."

But with the surgery labeled as cosmetic, insurance coverage has been an issue, she said.

The weight loss has changed Prince's entire perspective.

"When I look at where I was, topping out at 330 lbs. I am in a state of disbelief," Prince said. "Was that ever really me? I don’t remember being so large. I’s only until this past summer when I was cleaning out my closet of some of my clothing from when I was heavier did I realize, holding those shorts up in a state of awe, 'I did this. I, alone, did this incredible feat.'"

Losing the weight has also left her well aware of the benefits of clean eating, and of watching what goes into her body. She credits the Paleo diet, including fruits, vegetable juices, and organic, grass fed meats, with her success.

"I feel healthier overall," Prince said.

To others struggling, Prince has advice.

"If I can do it, anyone can. Yes, it sounds cliche, but it’s completely true. Think of it as a lifestyle change, not a diet, because it’s just that. You need to adjust your entire lifestyle around it. Sure, there are nights when pizza and beer are going to win over the grain free biscuits and grilled veggies, but it’s a very long road. It was 5 years for me and my body plateaued several times throughout. Once at 260, another in my 230s," Prince said. "I wanted to give up; I backslid. However, I wasn’t accepting it, and Ipushed through. There is no end goal per se for me. It’s all open. There’s still more weight to lose and more muscle to tone. I just want to be the best 'me' I can be."

Prince said the promise and hope of a bright future is spread before her now. "I want to experience things I was never able to do because of my weight," she said. "I have goals for hiking trails, even eventually training for a 10K. I want to inspire others with what I have done — I want to share the story of my journey. A new body for me would be a new lease on life I don’t intend to waste — but, instead, I'd choose to live each moment to its fullest."

The best gift of all, she said, "would be to wake up each morning and look myself in the mirror with a sense of eventual pride, scars and all, and say, 'You did it. You have this, and by God, you are beautiful. Get out there and go make a difference!'"

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