Story by Hayley Boland
Faith Newsome, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, has dealt with obesity for most of her life.
“There hasn’t been a time in my life when I haven’t had excess weight,” Newsome said.
At 16, Newsome decided to undergo weight-loss surgery. This decision was not made lightly.
“You don’t just wake up one morning and say ‘oh, I’m going to have weight loss surgery.’ It’s a very long process,” Newsome said.
For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement in support of this operation for younger patients, recommending it as an effective option for adolescents facing obesity.
“Surgery for children with severe obesity under the age of 18 is safe,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a professor of pediatrics at Duke University and one of the lead statement’s lead authors. “In fact, there’s fewer medical complications than with adults.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics released its statement to attack the stigma around this procedure. A stigma that Newsome, who is also one of Dr. Armstrong’s patients, has faced firsthand.
“People really simplify obesity, because it’s easy. If you eat, you gain weight, and if you moved more and ate less, you’d lose it. But, we know that’s not the case,” Newsome said.
Armstrong says that with childhood and adolescent obesity, a lot of shame and blame is placed on those who suffer from the condition. Those opposed to the procedure often view it as a quick fix, or an easy way out. Much of adolescent obesity treatment focuses on behavioral changes—including increasing exercise and proper dieting. However, that doesn’t always work for every patient.
“For many children, particularly those with more severe degrees of obesity, we’re learning more and more that those behavioral changes are important, but may be not enough for some of them,” Armstrong said.
In addition to being a physical treatment option, weight loss surgery has benefits that go beyond physical health.
“There are some really positive psychological outcomes as well. We’ve found that it helps patients with severe depression, or very low quality of life,” Armstrong said.
Newsome knows this to be true.
“I finally felt that I was at peace with my body… I had spent so many years fighting it, and now we were one in the same,” Newsome said.
Newsome’s personal experiences drove her to found OCEANS—a support and advocacy group for young people with obesity.
“I’ve found this niche in the advocacy world, specifically for adolescents, because there aren’t that many teenagers who are open and willing to talk about living with obesity… I’ve found my place sharing my experiences as someone who’s had access to care.” Newsome said.
However, weight loss surgery like the treatment Newsome chose isn’t a quick or easy fix by any means.
“They have to eat differently. They have to take different medications that other people don’t have to take. They have to be very careful about taking their vitamin supplements. It’s a real commitment,” Armstrong said.
But for Newsome, it’s a commitment that is worthwhile.
“I’m five years post-op, and arguably still very successful,” Newsome said.
