Kelly Moulis
Sponsor: TK

Nevada
Tabetha (Age 17)
Complications from Gastric Bypass Surgery

Tabetha is a beautiful, talented 17-year-old with a passion for other people, especially children. She is half Samoan and has adopted parents who absolutely adore her and want the best for her.

Born at an impressive 10 pounds, 13 ounces, Tabbie struggled with childhood obesity. Strict diets and aggressive exercise regimes didn’t help, and she was facing diabetes, heart issues and other weight-related complications. By age 15 she weighed nearly 300 pounds.

Her parents turned to gastric bypass surgery to assist with her weight problem, and the months following the procedure turned into a nightmare. The surgeon left a needle in her abdomen during surgery and by the time it was removed it had punctured eight spots in her colon. She went into multiple organ failure, developed sepsis and required three surgeries to repair the damage.

After 31 days in the Pediatric ICU—which had her with 17 different IVs at one point— Tabbie went home. She has had two unrelated surgeries since that stay, including the removal of a tumor from her intestine, but through it all Tabbie has been a happy and healthy teenager who continues to share her love for others.