My darling friend Jo      I have known Jo since we were kids, back in Colchester when we were both at the High School there. We both had weight issues as long as we could remember, and throughout our adult lives we struggled with slimming clubs. We lost contact for a long time but then miraculously a chance letter via an old address managed to find its way to her and we were reunited again. Jo topped her scales at about 22 1/2 stone just after having her first baby. In between each of her 4 children she managed to lose some weight but it never shifted effectively for long.

When I decided to have weight loss surgery, I told very few people. Jo was one of these chosen few because I valued her support and being one of my closest friends I wanted to share my news with her. She was a tough nut to crack though ! As I explained weight loss surgery to her for the first time she did a sterling job at trying to talk me out of it, but I knew her motivation was her love for me. She was adamant it would not be her chosen course of weight loss, but over time and through researching as I had, and with a lot of talking, Jo did finally get a referral for surgery. She had her surgery in February 2010 and from her biggest size to now, she has lost about 12 1/2 stone. I have seen her confidence grow as her newfound slim beauty was uncovered and I could not be happier for her. She remains my adopted sister and my best friend and I love her so much for trusting me when I was telling her that this operation would be the best thing she ever did. You are looking amazing Jo, well done my darling xx