Mary Maxwell has shared some empowering photos of her weight loss journey, which has seen her lose an incredible 165 pounds.
However her reasons for transforming her body are heartbreaking.
The 24-year-old has seen almost all of her immediate family lost their lives to obesity-related complications.
Her father died before she was born, and her mother and aunt passed away before she was three years old.
Writing on her Go Fund Me page, she explained: “My parents, both morbidly obese were told to not expect children due to health complications from their weight, yet here I am today.
“My father was diagnosed with cancer shortly after my mother and he started dating. They decided to get married and try getting pregnant. When my mother was 6 months pregnant, he died.
“My mother fell into a deep depression and when I was 2 years old, my mother died of a sudden heat attack due to her obesity.
“Months before her passing, my aunt who was 26 died of a heart attack also. So let’s see; my mother, father, grandparents, AND my aunts all were morbidly obese and as a 2 year old I was heading in the same direction.”
Mary was adopted into another family, but, when her adopted father passed away, she fell into a deep depression and turned to food for comfort.
Already overweight, she soon found herself reaching obesity at just 13-years-old.
After high school, she found herself ballooning to nearly 300lbs - and finally realised that she needed to take action.
11 days before her 21st birthday, she underwent Gastric Pass surgery, and almost died due to multiple complications which required two major stomach surgeries.
She powered through, sticking to a healthy diet and exercise plan, and has since lost an incredible 165 points.
What a transformation!
However there is a problem.
Sharing photos of her changing body, she explains on her Go Fund Me page: “After losing such a huge amount of weight I am left with numerous pounds of skin.
“So many times I've looked at the skin and cried. I wonder to myself how I ever could ruin my body the way I did. One day I will have the scars to show who I was, the scars from skin removal surgery.
“Until then I wear my extra skin as a scar on my heart because I will NEVER be the woman I want to be with this lingering on my body.”
Mary has set up the page in a bid to raise the funds necessary for a second expensive operation, which she hopes will remove her excess skin.
She says: "Until the miraculous day when I can rid myself of the old me I will hold my head up high and be proud of how far I've come.
"Emotionally it is tough, physically it is tough but I am tough!"
What an incredible woman; we hope she meets her target!
If you want to donate to Mary’s skin removal surgery, please visit her Go Fund Me page now.