Cedar Rapids Woman Seeking Extreme Weight-Loss Result through "My 600-lb Life" // Fund-Raising to See Specialized Doctor

Have you watched "My 600-lb Life" on TLC? It is a reality TV show about severely overweight individuals as they struggle to reduce their weight through diet, exercise, surgery, and emotional healing. This isn't a weight-loss/exercise competition show like "The Biggest Loser." This show follows people for months, documenting both their achievements as well as their setbacks.

I believe that I have watched a few episodes of this program -- though there are a couple other similar shows to "My 600-lb Life" and it's possible that I'm confusing the programs. This is what I remember from the program that I watch: This level of obesity is deadly. Most of the shows that I watched ended with the person dying as a result of their weight or following one of their surgical procedures.

Once again, I could be confusing the shows. My recollection is hazy and Google isn't my friend tonight. So if I'm mixing up programs, please correct and forgive me!!

Suffice it to say, these aren't easy fix programs.

Here is why I bring up the program. I learned today of a woman named Charity Pierce from nearby Cedar Rapids, IA. She has a medical condition called lymphedema, which has exacerbated an earlier weight problem and caused extreme swelling in her left leg and hip. She was in the news back in 2012 when she was struggling to lose enough weight to qualify for gastric bypass surgery, which could then assist with even more weight loss. Her weight range back in 2012 was 610-630 pounds. Her weight now is 765 pounds.

Charity is still struggling to lose weight and is in the running to be featured on a new episode of "My 600-lb Life." Unfortunately, there is a catch. She needs to travel to a special doctor in Houston, TX, in order to get onto the show. This doctor will assess her condition and, if approved, will perform gastric bypass surgery on her -- even if she's not down to that 500 pound marker. She can't get to Houston without being transported by ambulance and she cannot afford to pay the ambulance expense.

So Charity Pierce is soliciting online donations to help her raise $5,000 towards specialized transportation costs. In order to get chosen to appear on this program, she needs to raise this money by the end of April. As of this writing, Charity has raised $1,610 is pledged money through GoFundMe.com. If approved for the surgery, the surgery itself should be covered by Medicaid insurance.

You can read more about Charity Pierce, her weight loss struggle, and her fund-raising efforts at www.gofundme.com/2f07n4.