When Ka’Reesha landed in the emergency room before age 30, she was facing morbid obesity at 400 pounds. That was six years ago.

“I was too young to feel that sick. Now I feel like my outside matches who I am on the inside,” she said. “I lost half of my body weight and gained confidence. Now I can do the activities I wanted to do before, and I get to share them with my daughter.”

With the help of gastric bypass surgery, her health now matches her passion for life and dreams for the future.

“What I like about Salem Health is all the education before the surgery and the support after it. If I’m having a hard week, I can still call the office and someone will help me look at my nutrition and lifestyle plan to make sure it’s working for me,” Ka’Reesha said.

Her weight loss journey started by attending a bariatric information session, but it continues because of her commitment to making healthy choices.

“I’ve heard that some people gain the weight back,” she said. “I had to fully commit to making lifestyle changes before Dr. Nair did the surgery. The bariatric team wanted me to be successful as much as I did.”

She now does aerobic dance, jogs and bikes for exercise and recreation. This summer, she wants to fulfill two more lifelong dreams: riding a horse and starting kickboxing.