A woman who was "desperate" to lose weight and avoid the huge NHS waiting lists has forked out thousands to undergo surgery in Latvia. Stacie Mai Flanigan, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, underwent a gastric bypass after struggling with her size for many years.
Despite various attempts to lose weight through conventional methods such as diet and exercise, Stacie said her weight continued to have a massive impact on her wellbeing and stopped her from socialising. She then contacted her GP about bariatric surgery but very lengthy NHS waiting lists, combined with what she perceived as a myriad of hoops she was asked to jump through, led her to consider radical solutions.
In an interview with ITV Wales' current affairs programme, Y Byd ar Bedwar, she said: "I've tried nearly everything that's out there and every time I ask for help, people just say eat less and move more and lose weight. I've had enough of doctors going '(it's) her own fault she's got this, send her home'."
