Woman rips 10-year wait for weight-loss surgery

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Lillian Coakley has been battling with weight all her life and recently came to the realization she may never receive critical weight-loss surgery that has a 10-year waiting list.

So last week she wrote her own obituary and watched as it went viral on Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's Weighty Matters blog.

"I was just so flabbergasted and pissed, I went online and started my bitch-to list," said the 42-year-old Sackville, N.S., single mother of two.

"I was on my couch coming back from my monthly support group meeting and was just so frustrated thinking about the wait time."

The sleeve gastrectomy she wants reduces 80 per cent of the stomach and helps suppress the hormone that gives you hunger pangs.

Every time Coakley phones Capital Health, a Nova Scotia health services provider, she feels her application is lost.

"The poor ladies never know why I'm calling and don't know about my place," said Coakley, who had her first referral for weight-loss surgery in her 20s. There have been several more referrals since.

At 372 pounds, Coakley suffers from asthma, sleep apnea and could be susceptible to Type 2 diabetes. She has done every fad diet but nothing has kept the weight off.

Her mobility is limited and getting from the bedroom to the bathroom without her puffer is something she hopes to change.

"If it were 50 pounds, you know, I'd just suck it up and find a way to lose the weight, but it's much more than that," she said in response to people saying she should just eat better and exercise more.

"My sister lost part of her foot and my grandmother lost part of her leg and was blind near the end because of diabetes," said Coakley, who said she feels that could be her fate.

"I don't want to die," she says.

Though she admits that in the past her food choices were not the healthiest due to the difficulty of raising two boys on her own on a salary of $24,000. But she has started to eat healthier and adhere to smaller food portions.

Dr. James Ellesmere, Capital Health's surgical director said they do an average of 70 sleeve operations a year and have a waiting list of over 2,000, which exceeds the estimated 10 years' wait time. They have a team of two surgeons and three part-time staff.

"The surgery on average reduces 65 per cent of the weight, some even accomplish 100 per cent of their goal weight," said Ellesmere. "It's life-changing."

--Postmedia News

Lillian Coakley's death notice

WE are sad to inform you of the untimely passing of a young mother, sister, daughter and friend. She died at a young age due to complication with obesity that she fought for years to overcome.

She was the youngest child of seven and she leaves behind her two sons, who both lived at home with her. Her entire life was lived for her boys who she loved immensely and were her pride and joy.

She was survived by her three sisters and three brothers, along with many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and grest-nephews. She loved to sew and do crafts and was an awesome cook and loved to help others and would give what she could to anyone in need. She enjoyed comedy and good laughs.

Lillian suffered many years with asthma, severe high blood pressure, pain due to stress on her joints from her weight and in the last while was diagnosed with sleep apnea and diabetes.

There will be no flowers at her request and the body will be cremated as she would hate to be a burden on her family and have to be carried away to her final resting place by a tractor, so she spared her family with finding a mass amount of pallbearers and more stares and jokes about her weight as her beloved family mourns the loss of her as they did throughout her life.

She would appreciate if you speak out and support obesity weight loss surgery and obesity awareness and write a letter to your local MLA and to anyone who will listen.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 30, 2011 A24