GROVE CITY, Ohio — Bariatric weight-loss surgery can be life-changing, but for one Ohio woman it led to a serious diagnosis that saved her life.
Michelle Duncan's life is back on track after losing 100 pounds from bariatric surgery.
What You Need To Know
- Michelle Duncan lost 100 pounds after undergoing bariatric surgery
- She’s the first person in the state and fifth in the country with situs inversus to undergo bariatric surgery
- Situs inversus means the heart is on the opposite side of her body and all her internal organs are backwards
- After surgery, Duncan started taking her health more seriously, which led doctors to catch the melanoma when they did
"I lost 74 inches around my body,” Duncan said.
But because of her situs inversus, her heart is on the opposite side of her body and all her internal organs are backwards, making her the first person in the state and fifth in the country with her condition to undergo bariatric surgery.
After surgery, Duncan started taking her health more seriously, which led doctors to catch the melanoma when they did.
"About a month and a half after having a surgery,” she said, “I went and got my moles checked out. And then, the spot that I thought was a birthmark was melanoma cancer, so had I not found out then and it wouldn't have gotten a lot further, so would have been a different conversation. So, I was very grateful."
A month later, she was back in surgery to remove the skin cancer. Aside from her six-month checkups, she's now spending less of her days in the hospital and more time traveling, making as many memories as possible.
"Honestly, the journey is the destination,” she said. “So, it's not like you're ever going to achieve this perfect health. It's something that you have to work at every single day."