“My mom died of a heart attack early. She was only 55, and it was due to her being obese for so long. That’s pretty young, and I want to live longer than that,” said Jessica Barnett. “That was the catalyst. I could see myself following in her footsteps. I really didn’t want to die.”
This is the primary reason for Jessica’s decision to have weight loss surgery. She had been on a 20-year weight loss journey, that culminated with her surgery in May 2015. At that time, she weighed in at 250 pounds, wore a size 22 and had a BMI of 40.