Who is Brenda? Name: Brenda Age: 47 Family: Four kids, ages 18, 8, and two 6-year-olds Occupation: Internet Site Manager Goals: To improve my health and fit into skinnier jeans

Brenda is an admitted lifelong dieter, yo-yoing up and down the scale trying a myriad of plans including Weight Watchers, Optifast, Overeaters Anonymous, TOPS (Taking Pounds Off Sensibly), and more.

Weight loss has always been a focal point in her life, causing her heartache, embarrassment, and fear.

She'd endured years of squeezing into movie theater and airline seats, sleeping strapped to a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device to help her breathe during the night, and popping medicines to manage blood glucose and blood pressure. Brenda wondered if she'd live to see her young children grow up.

At 277 pounds and facing serious, long-term health complications, Brenda hoped things would change, but knew she knew she had to do something.

The change came when she saw a story on Carney Wilson, who had a complicated weight loss surgery known as gastric bypass. Brenda found hope.

Gastric bypass comes with risk and Brenda knows it. Her doctors have not flinched from outlining the pros and cons. This procedure's possible complications include bleeding, infections, gallstones, gastritis, digestive problems, vitamin deficiencies, and follow-up surgeries to correct complications or to remove excess skin.

But the gamble can pay off in a major way in health benefits, including reductions in weight and cholesterol levels, elimination of hypertension, blood glucose management, and correction of sleep apnea.

The surgery is a risk Brenda has decided to take. And the journey has shown her a bigger world of decreasing proportions.

Faced with a health issue and a history of family members now dead due to obesity-related health issues, the time was now for change.

"It was either do or die," she said. "Either do this or you are going to die, literally."