____This is how Alexis Shapiro used to look two years ago when she was 10 years old and weighed 51 pounds. Today, although she's only 12, she already weighs close to 200 pounds. Her mother, Jennifer Shapiro, is desperate because no matter how much her daughter eats, she's never satisfied. That's because Alexis suffers from a condition that makes her feel hungry all the time…
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I'd never heard of the condition, but it's called hypothalamic obesity and, in Alexis' case, it came about after complications from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor caused damaged to the area that controls her digestive system. The poor girl has gained 140 pounds since the surgery two years ago and her energy level is so low that she's no longer able to do all the things she used to love.
At this point, the only thing that will save her is undergoing gastric bypass surgery, but the Shapiros' insurance has not approved it, which means they would have to pay the hefty sum of $50,000 themselves. Realizing this surgery is their daughter's only option and desperate for her to have a normal life again, the family has decided to go public to try to raise the necessary funds. Luckily, they've already managed to raise more than $74,000. I'm so glad to see so many people have decided to help this poor girl!
Alexis is aware that the surgery may not work for her and that her life will forever be altered, but she believes nothing can be worse than what's been happening to her the last couple of years and her parents support her. I pray to God that it does work and that she can go back to being a regular 12-year-old who's able to do all the things she loves.
Images via abcnews.go.com
