As Ebony’s children played outside, she would have to sit in the car and watch them have fun. She had arthritis in her knees and back, with heel spurs so bad she could barely walk. This also impacted her ability to work. Ebony tried to lose weight on her own through various weight loss programs, but was never able to keep the weight off. When she turned 35, she had what she describes as ‘an epiphany.’ “This is not the way God intended my life to be,” Ebony realized. “I’m young. I want to be here for my children. I want to live my life.”

Ebony embarked on a journey to change her life, enlisting the help of the Your New Self weight loss solutions program at the Detroit Medical Center. “The physicians and bariatric staff at the DMC made me feel very safe and comfortable. They helped me to stay focused and realize my dream of losing more than 200 pounds,” said Ebony. “When you lose this kind of weight, you transform. You become a new person,” recalls Ebony. “My oldest daughter was surprised one day when she found me in her closet looking for clothes to wear!”