KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Morbidly Obese Woman Seeks Surgeon to Save Her Life

Morbidly Obese Woman Seeks Surgeon to Save Her Life

Obesity is a major problem across the country. The number of people considered morbidly obese, which is one hundred pounds or more overweight, is growing. 
One Shreveport woman is considered super morbidly obese. The firefighters at Station 15 in Sunset Acres brought Janice Dickens to our attention. She's hoping to get some help that might just save her life. For as long as she can remember she has carried around more weight than she should. 
"Age 26 was the first time I heard a doctor tell me I wouldn't live to see 30," she says.
At 41 years old, she weighs more than 550 pounds. Doctors say she's still staring death in the face. 
Janice says, "I've been in the ICU so many times for heart failure and if something don't give soon my heart ain't gonna be able to keep doing all this work."
Even now she can barely walk and needs plenty of help. 
Some of that help comes from the firefighters of Station 15. They go above and beyond, doing anything from helping her get to the hospital to fixing her stove. 
Captain Debusk says, "I would hope that anybody given similar circumstances would want to help somebody like that. I would want , I certainly would want it for me or my family."
And it's family that's motivating Miss Dickens to make a change. 
Janice Dickens her daughter says, "She's really motivated to get the surgery and hopefully they say if she gets the surgery then most of her health problems will go away."
Miss Dickens says Medicaid will pay for the surgery which costs around 22 thousand dollars but she's having trouble finding a doctor who'll accept Medicaid. She's hoping someone will come forward to help.
Topping the list the Ark-La-Tex ranks pretty high when it comes to obesity. Arkansas is ranked eleventh in the nation. They say everything is bigger in Texas. The Lone Star state ranks sixth among the fifty states and Louisiana breaking the top five ranks a high fourth.
Story by Nordia Higgins