Octavia: I'VE GOTTEN SO BIG NOW THAT I'M AT THE POINT
WHERE MY WEIGHT IS LITERALLY KILLING ME.
♪♪
Man: AT THIS POINT, I'M KILLING MYSELF.
Woman: IT'S TERRIFYING TO THINK THAT AT ANY MOMENT
YOUR HEART COULD EXPLODE.
♪♪
Woman #2: I DON'T WANT TO DIE.
I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO LIVE YET.
I HAVE TO CHANGE.
I KNOW IT'S HARD BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY
WE'VE HAD TO COPE WITH LIFE.
I CAN'T BREATHE.
PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME.
GOD, I'M GONNA DIE.
Dr. Nowzaradan: YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE SITUATION IS.
ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU -- YOU GET A COLD OR ANYTHING --
THAT'LL BE THE END.
NOBODY CAN HELP YOU.
--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
Octavia: MY LIFE IS MISERABLE
BECAUSE I'M SO BIG THAT I'M BEDRIDDEN NOW.
AND THE ENTIRETY OF MY BODY JUST HURTS NONSTOP ALL DAY LONG.
AND IT'S SO BAD THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET UP
FOR OVER A YEAR NOW.
SO I'VE HAD TO LEARN TO LIVE
IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT WAY THAT'S DEMEANING.
EVEN WHEN I USE THE RESTROOM, I CAN'T GET UP,
SO I HAVE TO USE UNDERPADS.
I FEEL LIKE A DOG.
AND WHEN I'M DONE, MY ROOMMATE, TYISHA, COMES TO GET IT.
BUT I HATE IT BECAUSE IT'S EMBARRASSING
TO HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE DO THAT FOR YOU.
BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE
BECAUSE I CAN HARDLY DO ANYTHING ON MY OWN.
OKAY.
WHAT DO YOU NEED? DO YOU NEED TOWELS?
OKAY. OKAY.
ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS I'M STILL ABLE TO MANAGE
IS CLEANING MYSELF.
Tyisha: WHEN I FIRST MOVED IN,
OCTAVIA WAS AT LEAST MOBILE INSIDE THE HOUSE.
SHE WOULD COME FROM THE BEDROOM TO THE LIVING ROOM,
BUT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, OCTAVIA GOT STUCK IN THE BED,
AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME AND GET HER OUT.
SO NOW WE MOVED OCTAVIA'S BED TO THE LIVING ROOM
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE A SITUATION
WHERE SHE NEEDED HELP AND COULDN'T GET OUT.
Octavia: I TRY MY BEST TO CLEAN MYSELF AS MUCH AS I CAN.
AND THERE ARE SOME DAYS I WANT TO JUST SKIP IT.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO DO.
BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS AT MY SIZE
IF YOU DON'T STAY CLEAN BECAUSE YOUR BODY CHAFES EASILY.
AND THOSE AREAS CAN GET INFECTED.
BUT WHEN I'M BATHING, MY BACK IS JUST ON FIRE.
IT REALLY FEELS LIKE IT'S JUST BURNING.
ANY TYPE OF MOVEMENT, THAT ALL ADDS STRESS ON MY BACK,
AND IT'S EXCRUCIATING.
I HATE IT.
YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED THOSE LITTLE THINGS
LIKE BEING ABLE TO SHOWER AND BATHE YOURSELF,
AND I MISS FEELING HOT WATER
AND JUST BEING ABLE TO ENJOY SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT THAT'S NOT MY LIFE ANYMORE.
MY LIFE IS THIS BED,
AND ALL I HAVE THE ENERGY TO DO EVERY DAY IS THIS.
I CAN MAYBE SIT UP ONCE.
BUT MOST OF THE TIME, ALL I CAN DO IS LAY HERE IN BED ALL DAY.
AND ALL I DO IS EAT.
YOU READY FOR BREAKFAST?
YES, MA'AM.
THANK YOU, BABE.
EATING IS MY HAPPINESS.
IT MAKES ME FEEL SAFE.
AND IF I COULD, I JUST WOULDN'T STOP.
BECAUSE I LOVE TO EAT.
Tyisha: EATING FOR OCTAVIA MEANS COMFORT.
IT'S SOMETHING SHE DOES TO EASE THE PAIN
AND THE SADNESS THAT IS INSIDE OF HER,
AND IT'S HARD TO WATCH.
IT KILLS ME.
BECAUSE HOW DO YOU SAY TO HER WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Octavia: AFTER I FINISH MY MEAL,
I'M ALREADY THINKING ABOUT EATING AGAIN
AND WHAT I'M GONNA HAVE NEXT, AND I CAN'T WAIT.
I'M DONE.
THANK YOU.
Tyisha: WELCOME.
SO FOOD AND MY FAMILY ARE WHAT I LIVE FOR.
♪♪
MY SISTER HAS THREE CHILDREN, AND I LOVE BEING THEIR AUNT.
AND THE ONLY TIMES I EVER FEEL HAPPY ARE EITHER WHEN I'M EATING
OR WHEN I SEE THEM.
THEY LIVE NEARBY AND COME OVER ONCE A DAY.
-TITí. -TITí.
-HI! -HI.
OH, LOOK AT YOU GUYS! COME HERE.
HI, TITí.
Octavia: AND IT'S THE ONLY OTHER THING OUTSIDE OF FOOD
I LOOK FORWARD TO.
AND THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES
I'M EVER WILLING TO SHARE MY SNACK STASH WITH.
LET'S SEE.
HERE. THOSE ARE FOR YOU.
-YAY! -[ LAUGHS ]
I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA BE HAPPY.
I LOVE SEEING THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES
WHEN I GIVE THEM SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT.
FOOD IS HOW I'VE KNOWN LOVE AND IS HOW I SHOW LOVE.
SO THIS MOMENT IS ONE OF THE FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF MY DAY.
THE ONLY DOWN SIDE IS THAT MY SISTER
USUALLY WANTS TO LECTURE ME.
SHE LOOKS AFTER ME FOR A BIT WHILE TYISHA RUNS ERRANDS,
AND SHE'LL TRY TO PUSH ME TO EAT STUFF
I DON'T WANT.
Desire: OKAY, GIVE HER A HUG. ME AND TITí NEED TO TALK.
I WANT YOU GUYS TO GO IN THE BACK ROOM.
-GROUP HUG. -OW.
AND SHE PUSHES ME TO GET UP.
BUT SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH PAIN I'M CONSTANTLY IN.
SO WHEN SHE HAS ONE OF HER TALKS WITH ME,
IT HAS AN OPPOSITE EFFECT.
DID YOU GET UP TODAY?
DON'T START WITH ME.
I'M JUST SAYING.
NO, I DIDN'T GET UP.
LEAVE ME ALONE.
MM.
SO, WHAT ARE WE GONNA HAVE FOR LUNCH?
A SOUTHWEST SALAD SOUNDS AMAZING.
I WANT SOME BARBECUE.
DON'T YOU WANT SOME?
I WOULD RATHER HAVE A SALAD, YOU KNOW.
I WANT THE BARBECUE PLACE,
SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA GET.
YOU CAN BURN IT OFF TOMORROW.
DON'T GET CUTE WITH ME.
EITHER YOU CAN GET IT, OR I CAN HAVE TYISHA GET IT,
BUT THERE'S NO REASON YOU CAN'T DO IT.
Desire: I WORRY ABOUT HER A LOT.
SO MUCH SO I KNOW PEOPLE WOULD SAY,
"WELL, WHY DO YOU BRING HER THE STUFF,"
OR, "YOU KNOW SHE HAS A PROBLEM,"
BUT WHEN YOU'RE CONFINED TO YOUR HOME
AND YOU REALLY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE,
THIS IS THE LITTLE BIT OF JOY THAT SHE DOES HAVE,
AND WHATEVER I DON'T GET, SHE'LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO GET.
SO WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THE BARBECUE PLACE?
I WANT THAT COMBO WITH THE RIBS.
EXTRA PICKLES.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE SKIMPY WITH THE FRENCH FRIES.
SO YOU WANT A SIDE ORDER OF FRIES?
I DO. OKAY, THANKS, BABY.
MM.
OKAY. I'LL BE BACK.
-ALL RIGHT, BABE. -ALL RIGHT.
-BYE. -BYE.
BYE! WE'RE LEAVING NOW -- GOING.
Octavia: I'M JUST AS SCARED ABOUT HOW I AM AS MY SISTER IS.
BUT THIS IS HOW I'VE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME,
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THAT.
IF I CAN GO BACK IN TIME AND UNDO IT ALL,
I WOULD IN A HEARTBEAT, BUT I CAN'T.
THE PAST IS THE PAST.
MY EARLY CHILDHOOD WAS HAPPY,
AND I WAS KIND OF A NORMAL SIZE UNTIL AROUND THE THIRD GRADE.
BECAUSE WHEN I WAS AROUND 8,
THAT'S WHEN I REMEMBER THINGS GETTING HARDER FOR ME.
IT STARTED WHEN MY PARENTS SEPARATED,
AND IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
BUT AFTER THAT, IT WAS JUST ME, MY SISTER, AND MY MOM.
MY MOM, NOW BEING A SINGLE MOTHER,
SHE WORKED A LOT TRYING TO SUPPORT US
BECAUSE MY DAD WASN'T AROUND MUCH AFTER THAT,
AND I JUST COULDN'T SEE HOW HE COULD JUST VANISH
FROM OUR LIFE LIKE HE DID.
IT WAS HURTFUL, AND I CAN REMEMBER CRYING MYSELF
TO SLEEP MANY NIGHTS, WONDERING WHERE MY DAD WAS.
BUT FOOD MADE ME FEEL BETTER,
AND THAT'S WHEN MY WEIGHT GAIN STARTED.
I REMEMBER THE NEXT YEAR GOING TO THE DOCTOR
AND FINDING OUT I WAS UP TO 130 POUNDS.
I WAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE WEIGHT
I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT FOR MY AGE,
AND THAT WAS A BIG SHOCK.
BUT IT DIDN'T STOP ME FROM GOING TO FOOD AND GAINING EVEN MORE,
BECAUSE THINGS CONTINUED TO GET WORSE FOR ME,
AND FOOD WAS THE ONLY ESCAPE I HAD,
BECAUSE AT 9, MY MOM STARTED DATING SOMEONE NEW,
AND IT WAS AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP.
SO I WAS CONSTANTLY SCARED FOR HER
'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT.
AND I REMEMBER I'D HIDE BUTCHER KNIVES ALL AROUND THE HOUSE
SO I COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DEFEND MYSELF
AND MY MOM IF I HAD TO.
AND TO DEAL WITH ALL MY FEAR,
I JUST ATE CONSTANTLY DURING THAT TIME,
AND I JUST REMEMBER GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER.
AND I WAS UP TO 200 POUNDS BY THE TIME I WAS 11.
BUT THE ONLY THING I'M THANKFUL FOR FROM ALL THAT
IS MY MOM GOT PREGNANT
AND HAD MY SISTER DESIRE WHEN SHE WAS WITH HIM.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, NOTHING GOOD CAME OUT OF
HER BEING WITH HIM,
AND IT ACTUALLY GOT TO A POINT WHERE HE TRIED TO KILL HER,
AND AT THAT POINT, MY MOM FINALLY KNEW
THAT SHE NEEDED TO LEAVE HIM.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, MY MOM HAD TO TAKE CARE OF ME
AND MY SISTER ON HER OWN, AND IT MEANT SHE'D HAVE TO START
WORKING LONG HOURS AGAIN TO PROVIDE FOR US.
BUT OUR NEIGHBOR, WHICH WAS A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY,
AGREED TO WATCH US WHEN SHE DID,
AND HE STARTED TO RAPE ME
EVERY TIME WE WENT OVER TO HIS PLACE.
HE TOOK MY VIRGINITY.
AND WHEN HE WAS DONE, HE GAVE ME $50.
I COULDN'T TELL ANYBODY. I FELT SO ASHAMED.
I FELT LIKE, "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?"
I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND AFTER EACH INSTANCE, HE GAVE ME MONEY
TO TRY AND MAKE IT BETTER.
I'M LOOKING AT MY MOM,
WHO'S WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT US.
I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN MY POCKET TO PAY A BILL,
AND I CAN'T TELL HER WHERE THAT MONEY CAME FROM.
MY WAY OF HIDING THE MONEY WAS TO BUY FOOD,
AND I REMEMBER HAVING BAGS OF CANDY --
LIKE A LUNCH BAG FULL OF CHOCOLATE,
AND AT NIGHT WHEN I'M ALONE,
I WOULD JUST EAT CANDY.
I JUST WANTED TO ESCAPE.
ALL THAT GUILT AND SHAME AND FEAR,
AND ALL THAT WENT ON FOR A FEW YEARS,
AND IN THAT TIME, I PUT ON ANOTHER 100 POUNDS
AND WAS OVER 300 BY THE TIME I WAS 13.
BUT THE ABUSE STOPPED WHEN I WAS 13
BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN MY MOM FOUND OUT.
BUT I COULDN'T EVER GET BACK WHAT HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM ME.
SO I GAINED ANOTHER 100 POUNDS OVER THREE YEARS AGAIN
AND GOT OVER 400 WHEN I WAS 16.
MY WEIGHT WAS STARTING TO SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL.
BUT IT WAS ONLY GONNA GET WORSE.
AT 16, I HAD NO CONTACT WITH MY DAD,
AND MY MOM EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MY DAD WASN'T MY DAD.
SO THIS PERSON THAT I LOVED SO MUCH,
THIS PERSON THAT I HAD BEEN CRYING FOR WASN'T MY FATHER.
I HAD NEVER EVEN MET MY REAL FATHER.
AFTER SHE TOLD ME THAT, I WAS JUST ANGRY.
I WAS SO MAD.
BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, I FELT ABANDONED BY TWO DADS, YOU KNOW?
AND EVERYONE KNEW.
I FELT LIKE EVERYONE ALLOWED ME TO JUST CONTINUE TO LIVE A LIE.
SO I FELT BETRAYED BY MY FAMILY.
SO I JUST KEPT EATING AND GETTING EVEN BIGGER EVERY DAY.
AND BY MY EARLY 20s, I WAS 500 POUNDS,
AND I STARTED TO OUTGROW CLOTHES THAT COULD FIT ME.
BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THAT,
BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 23,
MY MOM SUDDENLY PASSED AWAY IN HER SLEEP.
AT THAT TIME, MY SISTER, DESIRE, WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL,
AND IT FELL ON ME TO SUPPORT HER BECAUSE I WAS ALL SHE HAD.
SO I DIDN'T GRIEVE FOR MY MOM
BECAUSE I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF A 15-YEAR-OLD.
OUR LIVES CHANGED AFTER MY MOM DIED.
BUT MY SISTER, SHE WENT, AND SHE GOT A JOB,
AND SHE TOOK GREAT CARE OF ME.
I NEVER WANTED FOR ANYTHING.
Octavia: STEPPING UP AND TAKING CARE OF MY LITTLE SISTER
IS ONE OF THE THINGS IN MY LIFE THAT I AM MOST PROUD OF
BECAUSE MY SISTER, SHE MADE IT.
SHE WASN'T A STATISTIC.
BUT ONCE DESIRE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL
AND DECIDED TO MOVE OUT ON HER OWN,
I STARTED FEELING THE BLOW OF LOSING MY MOM.
I WAS 30 AT THAT TIME,
AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED GAINING AGAIN,
AND IT STARTED TO GET HARDER FOR ME TO GET AROUND.
SO DESIRE SAID I COULD MOVE IN WITH HER AND HER FAMILY.
SHE HAD GOTTEN MARRIED
AND HAD A CHILD DURING THAT TIME,
AND THE DEAL WAS I COULD HELP OUT WATCHING MY NEPHEW,
AND SHE WOULD HELP ME WHEN I NEEDED A HAND
DOING ANYTHING THAT WAS TOO HARD FOR ME TO DO.
WHEN OCTAVIA MOVED IN,
I NOTICED THAT THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY
THAT OCTAVIA WAS GETTING DIMINISHED,
AND IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT FOR HER TO MANEUVER AROUND.
Octavia: OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,
DESIRE HAD TWO MORE KIDS,
AND LOOKING AFTER THEM AND SPENDING TIME WITH THEM
WAS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY ASIDE FROM EATING.
BUT WHEN I HIT 39, MY WEIGHT GOT OVER 600 POUNDS,
AND I GOT TO WHERE IT WAS HARD TO GET OUT OF BED.
SO I REALLY COULDN'T WATCH THEM ANYMORE,
AND AS MUCH AS I DIDN'T WANT TO, I MOVED OUT.
BUT WITH MY WEIGHT GETTING WORSE
TO THE POINT WHERE I'M NOW COMPLETELY BEDRIDDEN,
DESIRE HAD TO START COMING BY EVERY DAY TO TAKE CARE OF ME,
WHICH IS WHAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HAPPEN.
BUT, EVENTUALLY, MY BEST FRIEND, TYISHA,
SAID SHE'D MOVE IN WITH ME AND HELP ME,
AND MY FRIEND NICHELLE WOULD HELP OUT SOMETIMES, TOO.
SO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF ME
WASN'T ALL ON MY SISTER.
BUT MY WORLD IS THIS BED AND THIS ROOM NOW.
OKAY, SISTER.
I GOT YOUR BARBECUE.
THANK YOU.
THIS ISN'T A LIFE.
I'M NOT REALLY LIVING.
I'M EXISTING.
I'M NOT ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE THINGS
THAT I WANT TO DO, PLACES I WANT TO GO.
I FEEL LIKE I'M IN JAIL.
BUT I'M STILL GAINING, AND AT THIS POINT,
I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY WEIGHT'S AT.
AND I'M SCARED TO FIND OUT.
I JUST KNOW IT'S WORSE THAN EVER.
'CAUSE I CAN'T STOP EATING.
FOOD IS WHAT I'M LIVING FOR RIGHT NOW
EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT'S KILLING ME.
SO ONCE I FINISH ONE MEAL,
I'M ALREADY WORKING ON GETTING THE NEXT ONE.
[ Line ringing ]
-Hello. -HEY, NICHELLE.
-Hi. -HOW ARE YOU DOING?
NICHELLE: Good. I'm okay.
YOU GONNA BRING ME SOMETHING?
Yeah, I'll bring you some snacks.
Be there shortly. -OKAY, BABE.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
COME IN.
HEY, BABY. -HEY. HOW ARE YOU?
I'M OKAY.
I GOT SOME SNACKS FOR YOU.
WHEN I FIRST MET OCTAVIA,
SHE WOULD BUY ALL THE KIDS TREATS AND CANDY.
I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS SHE BOUGHT THE TREATS
AND THE CANDY FOR,
SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE CONNECTED AT.
WE LOVE FOOD, SO IF OCTAVIA CALLS ME AND WANTS SOMETHING,
I WILL FIND A WAY TO GET IT TO HER
BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE HER HAPPY.
OH, I BROUGHT YOU SOME CHIPS AND SOME POP.
I GOT CHOCOLATE IN THE BOTTOM.
WHAT IS THIS?
-PIZZA. -PIZZA?
WE MADE.
-YOU MADE IT? -YEAH.
Octavia: THERE'S NEVER A MOMENT I DON'T WANT TO EAT.
I EAT WHEN I'M HAPPY.
I EAT WHEN I'M SAD.
I DON'T CARE HOW MANY CALORIES I'M PUTTING IN MY BODY
OR WHAT I'M DOING TO MYSELF.
BUT I KNOW I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS
BECAUSE I'VE GOTTEN SO BIG NOW
THAT I'M AT THE POINT WHERE MY WEIGHT
IS LITERALLY CRUSHING MY BODY.
I KNOW BECAUSE I CAN FEEL IT EVERY DAY,
AND IT'S GETTING WORSE.
Nichelle: FOOD -- IT'S BEEN A COMFORT FOR HER,
AND IT JUST HAS DROVE OCTAVIA'S WEIGHT
TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS NOW.
BUT I'M AFRAID MY FRIEND IS GONNA DIE.
I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO BURY HER.
Octavia: FOOD HAS ALREADY TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME.
THE ONLY THING THAT'S LEFT IS MY ACTUAL LIFE.
AND I DON'T WANT TO DIE.
♪♪
Octavia: I KNOW MY BODY'S GETTING TO A BREAKING POINT.
I CAN FEEL IT GETTING WORSE EVERY DAY.
SO I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME, AND I'M NOT READY TO DIE.
I REACHED OUT TO DR. NOW'S OFFICE IN HOUSTON,
AND THEY SET A VIDEO CALL WITH ME TO TALK TO HIM
BECAUSE HE MAY BE MY ONLY HOPE AT THIS POINT.
FOR YEARS, I WAS TERRIFIED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.
LIKE, I WOULD GO WITHOUT HEALTHCARE FOR YEARS
BECAUSE ANY TIME YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR,
EVERYTHING'S YOUR WEIGHT, OR THEY'RE MEAN TO YOU.
YOU KNOW, THEY JUST GIVE YOU A PILL.
NOTHING EVER HELPS OR THERE'S NO SOLUTIONS.
BUT I KNOW DR. NOW ISN'T LIKE THAT,
AND I DEFINITELY WANT THIS PHONE CALL TO BE IT FOR ME,
BUT IF DR. NOW TURNS ME DOWN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'LL DO.
DR. NOWZARADAN: Hi, Octavia.
HI, DR. NOW.
How are you?
I'M PRETTY GOOD.
It's good to meet you.
SAME.
So, let's talk about some things
so I can understand your situation.
OKAY.
How is your mobility?
UM, RIGHT NOW, IT'S VERY LIMITED --
ALMOST NONEXISTENT.
I CAN'T REALLY GET AROUND OR ANYTHING.
So you're staying in the bed most of the time?
YES.
Are you able to stand up or walk?
-NO, NOT AT THIS TIME. -Okay.
How long have you been bedridden?
A FEW YEARS.
Do you know how much you weigh now?
THE LAST TIME I WAS WEIGHED, I WAS 652.
How long ago was that?
A FEW YEARS.
You think you've gained since that time
or you have lost any weight?
I'VE PROBABLY GAINED.
You look to be close to 700 pounds.
So I would agree that you've been gaining.
What do you eat right now?
CHIPS, CANDY.
Who buys those chips?
MY BEST FRIEND.
If your friend buying those chips for you,
I wouldn't call her best friend.
That's not best friend, okay?
A best friend will help you to lose weight,
not give you bad food.
YEAH.
Who does your cooking and preparing the food?
MY BEST FRIEND. SHE DOES.
SHE'S MY CARETAKER, AS WELL.
So you're likely between 650 to 700 pounds,
and you've been bedridden for a few years,
and you have an enabler taking care of you all day.
RIGHT.
Statistically, we know that you only have a year
or so left to live at this point, okay?
This is a very bad situation if we don't correct it right away.
RIGHT.
So, do you think you need to make some changes?
YES. I WANT TO.
All right, so I'm going to send you a list
of all healthy foods that you should be eating,
And, basically, you need to be on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet,
high protein, low carb, and only eat three times a day.
No snacking. -MM-HMM.
Okay? And if you stick with this diet,
you're gonna be able to lose 50 pounds easily in one month.
Okay? -OKAY.
And we are gonna find a local clinic
so we can check your weight to track your weight loss
and get some tests run on you
before we consider bringing you to Houston.
I DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO COME AND MOVE TO HOUSTON
AND JOIN YOUR PROGRAM.
You live in Kansas City, Missouri?
-YES. -Okay.
Well, that looks to be an 11- to 12-hour drive,
and that's gonna be too risky in your situation.
You could easily develop blood clots in your leg
that would likely be deadly for you,
and being bedridden increases those odds significantly.
So I'm going to send you some exercises that you can do.
OKAY.
You need to start to build up your stamina
and make sure that you can be mobile during the transport
and you're not gonna be fully stationary
and laying down for 12 hours.
Okay? -OKAY.
So that is important that we make sure
that we provide a safe transport to Houston.
-OKAY. -But if we bring you down,
you're also gonna need someone to move down here with you.
Because you're gonna need some support system
because you're not mobile,
and you won't be able to handle everything by yourself.
RIGHT.
Do you have someone other than your enabling best friend
who can do that?
-YES. -Okay.
All right. I have to get back.
If you have any issues, call me, and I'll be checking on you
and see what kind of progress you're making.
Okay? -ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. NOW.
You're welcome, and I'll talk to you later.
Okay? -ALL RIGHT. THANKS.
I THINK THE CALL WITH DR. NOW WENT WELL
BECAUSE HE'S GIVING ME A CHANCE.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE I HAVE THIS SENSE OF PEACE, WHERE, AT FIRST,
I WAS LITTLE JITTERY AND NERVOUS.
BUT I JUST FEEL GOOD BECAUSE I KNOW
THINGS ARE GONNA CHANGE FOR ME.
I FEEL LIKE THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE FOR MY LIFE,
AND IF I DON'T DO THIS NOW, I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA MAKE IT.
♪♪
Octavia: IT'S BEEN A WEEK SINCE I TALKED TO DR. NOW,
AND I'VE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO HOUSTON.
BUT I'M TERRIFIED.
I HAVEN'T BEEN OUT THE HOUSE IN YEARS,
AND I HAVEN'T BEEN IN A CAR IN EVEN LONGER.
SO IT IS VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING TO LEAVE EVERYTHING I KNOW.
BUT I TALKED TO MY FRIEND NICHELLE,
AND SHE'S WILLING TO MOVE DOWN TO HOUSTON WITH ME
BECAUSE DR. NOW DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA
FOR TYISHA TO BE THE ONE THAT COMES WITH ME
BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN MY BIGGEST ENABLER.
SO I'VE GOT TO DO WHAT I NEED TO GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACK.
MY FAMILY AND EVERYONE IS ALMOST DONE PACKING EVERYTHING UP,
AND WE HAVE THE VAN THAT I'M GONNA BE
RIDING DOWN TO HOUSTON IN.
SO I'M JUST ABOUT READY TO GO.
WE JUST NEED TO GET THE MATTRESS IN IT,
AND THEN I NEED TO BE CARRIED TO IT.
SO EMTs ARE COMING TO HELP ME WITH ALL THAT.
BUT I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT IT
BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME
SINCE I'VE BEEN OUT OF THIS APARTMENT.
SO I JUST HOPE THAT THERE ARE NO ISSUES,
AND IT ALL GOES WELL.
-HELLO. -HI, HI, HI.
I'M CANDACE. I'M WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU GET TO YOUR VAN.
IS THAT CORRECT? -YES.
OKAY. YOU'VE BEEN ON A STRETCHER BEFORE?
I HAVE, YEAH.
OKAY. THEN WE'LL GET ROLLING.
OKAY? -ALL RIGHT.
I'LL JUST SIT UP ON THE SIDE OF THE BED.
OH, GEEZ.
WHOA. GEEZ.
NOW, THAT AIN'T NEVER HAPPENED. -WE GOT YOU. WE GOT YOU.
JUST SIT LIKE THAT. -OKAY.
HELP ME. -RIGHT THERE.
-ALL THE WAY. -YEAH, JUST STAY RIGHT THERE.
OKAY. COOL.
-COUNT IT OUT FOR US. -TWO, THREE.
I GOT YOU. I GOT YOU.
YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE.
COME ON DOWN. -YOU GOT IT.
Candace: WELL DONE.
PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE MIDDLE.
Octavia: IT'S EMBARRASSING TO HAVE ALL OF THIS
JUST TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE MY APARTMENT.
-LET ME GET YOU OVER HERE. -THERE YOU GO.
BUT I'M DOING THIS TO MAKE SURE THIS ISN'T MY LIFE.
OOP! -YOU DON'T TRUST US?
Man: DON'T REACH.
SWING AROUND THIS BREEZEWAY.
OVER HERE.
OHH!
OKAY, TURN.
-ONE. -LET'S GET HER CENTERED.
TWO. THREE.
PASSING THE HEAD. PASSING THE HEAD.
GOT IT.
-GOOD. GOOD. -KEEP GOING.
-GOOD LUCK TO YOU. -THANK YOU ALL. APPRECIATE IT.
Octavia: I KNOW I'M FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE,
BUT IT'S HARD TO BE LEAVING MY FAMILY.
I LOVE YOU.
BE GOOD, OKAY?
-OKAY. -PROMISE ME?
YOU GONNA MISS US?
I LOVE YOU.
BYE.
[ CRYING ]
Desire: I'M DEFINITELY GONNA MISS MY SISTER.
IT'S TOUGH TO SEE HER GO.
I WISH SHE COULD STAY HERE AND SOME WAY
SHE CAN FIGURE IT OUT,
BUT I KNOW IT'S GOD'S WILL THAT SHE GOES DOWN HERE
AND DOES THIS, AND HE'S GONNA TAKE CARE OF HER.
GRANDMA?
-Yes. -OKAY.
WE'RE GETTING READY TO GET ON THE ROAD.
SO I WAS JUST CALLING FOR YOU TO PRAY FOR US.
OCTAVIA'S GRANDMOTHER: You ready now?
-YES, MA'AM. -All right.
Lord, I just thank You right now.
We pray, Lord, that you give a safe journey over the highway.
Keep her encouraged and inspired, oh, God.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen and amen. -AMEN.
I LOVE YOU.
I love you, too, sweetheart.
Octavia: I KNOW THIS TRIP ISN'T GONNA BE EASY,
AND I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH MYSELF TOO HARD,
BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF UNKNOWNS,
LIKE HOW IT'S GONNA BE LAYING DOWN IN A MOVING VEHICLE,
AND WHAT KIND OF STRAIN IT WILL BE ON MY BODY.
BYE, Y'ALL. I LOVE YOU.
[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]
BUT I'M CONFIDENT I CAN MAKE IT AS LONG AS I'M CAREFUL.
I JUST HAVE TO BRAVE THE JOURNEY AND GET THERE,
AND ONCE I DO, I'LL HAVE HOPE WAITING FOR ME.
♪♪
THIS IS DAY THREE OF BEING ON THE ROAD TO HOUSTON FOR ME.
I WAS HOPING TO BE DONE WITH ALL THIS TRAVELING
ON THE SECOND DAY,
BECAUSE BEING LOADED AND UNLOADED
SO MANY TIMES TOOK SO MUCH OUT OF ME,
AND I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW HARD THIS WAS GONNA BE.
SO I'M JUST REALLY GLAD I'M GONNA BE THERE SOON.
BUT EARLIER THIS MORNING,
I CALLED DR. NOW SINCE I'M SO CLOSE TO HOUSTON,
AND TOLD HIM THAT I'LL ACTUALLY BE THERE SOON.
BUT WHEN HE HEARD THAT I DID THIS WITHOUT MEDICAL TRANSPORT,
HE WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
SO HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN I GET THERE,
HE WANTS ME TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY
SO THAT HE CAN MAKE SURE NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME.
SO MY FAMILY WILL TAKE ALL MY AND NICHELLE'S STUFF
TO OUR NEW APARTMENT AND MOVE IN FOR ME
WHILE I HAVE ALL MY TESTS BEING RUN,
AND I'LL BE DONE WITH ALL THIS TRAVELING,
AND HOPEFULLY I'LL BE ABLE TO GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY SOON.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: I'M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH OCTAVIA RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE WANTED HER TO HIT HER GOAL
AND GET TO A HEALTHIER PLACE TO MAKE THIS TRIP SAFER,
BUT IT SEEMS SHE HAD TAKEN THIS UPON HERSELF
TO DO IT HER OWN WAY.
HOW YOU FEELING, OCTAVIA?
-I'M FEELING OKAY. -OKAY.
I WANT TO GET YOU INSIDE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
SO WE CAN MAKE SURE YOU'RE OKAY.
ARE YOU ABLE TO GET UP AND STAND?
NO.
OKAY, WELL, LET'S GET YOU INSIDE.
NOT ONLY HAS SHE RISKED HER HEALTH AND HER LIFE DOING THIS,
BUT IF SHE HASN'T HIT HER GOAL,
THIS WHOLE TRIP MAY BE POINTLESS FOR HER
BECAUSE SHE WON'T GET BYPASS SURGERY UNTIL THAT HAPPENS.
SO RIGHT NOW, I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT OCTAVIA,
AND I'M HOPING THIS IS NOT A GLIMPSE
OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT WITH HER GOING FORWARD.
Octavia: I'M ALL THE WAY ON?
-YES. -OH.
Dr. Nowzaradan: BUT OUR PRIORITY IS TO GET HER IN
AND MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY LIFE-THREATENING ISSUES.
♪♪
YOU FEELING ALL RIGHT?
-YEAH. -LITTLE SHORT OF BREATH?
YEAH. I'M JUST HOT.
I'M HOT AND I'M COLD. I DON'T KNOW.
LET ME CHECK AND SEE HOW YOUR HEART IS DOING.
EVERYTHING SOUNDS OKAY.
THANK YOU, BABY.
I'M NOT TOO HAPPY WITH THIS LITTLE STUNT
COMING DOWN HERE BEFORE WE KNEW IT WAS SAFE.
SO THIS IS VERY RECKLESS, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.
OKAY.
YOU WERE LUCKY YOU DIDN'T DEVELOP ANY ISSUES
BEFORE YOU GOT HERE, BECAUSE IF YOU HAD,
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY YOU WOULD HAVE MADE IT.
RIGHT.
BUT WE WILL RUN OUR TESTS AND SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING,
AND WE GO FROM THERE.
-OKAY. -ALL RIGHT?
-THANK YOU. -OKAY.
Dr. Nowzaradan: THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I'M SEEING
THAT CONCERN ME RIGHT NOW.
AND THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE OCTAVIA
COULD STILL BE AT A GREAT RISK
BECAUSE SHE STILL MAY BE SUFFERING FROM ISSUES
SHE DEVELOPED ON THE ROAD.
THAT COULD BE LIFE-THREATENING FOR HER,
AND IF THAT'S HAPPENING,
HER CONDITION COULD BECOME MUCH WORSE VERY QUICKLY.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS ANYTHING WE NEED
WITH HER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
♪♪
Octavia: I'VE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A COUPLE DAYS NOW.
DR. NOW PUT ME ON A CONTROLLED DIET.
HE SAYS THAT I MAY END UP BEING HERE
OR ANOTHER FACILITY FOR A WHILE LONGER.
BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT I WOULD BE HERE THIS LONG.
I THOUGHT THEY'D JUST GIVE ME A CHECKUP.
SO I'M REALLY NOT HAPPY RIGHT NOW.
Dr. Nowzaradan: WE FINISHED RUNNING OUR TESTS ON OCTAVIA,
AND SHE CAN CONSIDER HERSELF VERY LUCKY.
SHE HAS NO LIFE-THREATENING ISSUES CURRENTLY
OTHER THAN HER OVERALL WEIGHT.
SO WE STARTED HER
ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET ALREADY,
BUT SHE'S BEEN VERY VOCAL ABOUT HOW UNHAPPY SHE IS ABOUT THAT.
BUT WE NEED TO GET HER WEIGHT DOWN
AND GET HER UP AND OUT OF THE BED.
HELLO.
Octavia: HI, DR. NOW.
HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
I'M BETTER.
-DOING ALL RIGHT? -MM-HMM.
OKAY.
WE FINISHED RUNNING ALL THE TESTS,
AND, THANKFULLY, ALL YOUR TESTS ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.
OKAY.
YOU DON'T HAVE ANY SERIOUS ISSUES RIGHT NOW
THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS OTHER THAN YOUR WEIGHT
AND LACK OF ABILITY TO GET UP AND MOVE.
OKAY? -OKAY.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S CHECK YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT AND SEE WHERE YOU ARE.
692 POUNDS.
ALMOST 700 POUNDS.
THAT'S VERY CONCERNING. -MM-HMM.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
WE STARTED YOU ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET
SO WE CAN GET YOUR WEIGHT DOWN.
RIGHT.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT
FOR YOUR WEIGHT LOSS THAT WE GET YOU ACTIVE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU TO GO TO REHAB FOR A COUPLE MONTHS
AND SEE IF WE CAN BUILD UP SOME STRENGTH ON YOUR LOWER BODY
THAT YOU CAN GET UP AND WALK AND TAKE SOME STEPS.
OKAY? -OKAY.
BUT AFTER WE DO THAT, THEN YOU NEED TO SHOW ME
THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK HARD LIKE YOU NEED AT HOME.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR FRIEND TO GET INSTRUCTION
SO SHE UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S GOING ON
BECAUSE SHE STILL HAS SOME ISSUE WITH HER OWN WEIGHT,
AND I DON'T WANT HER ENABLING YOU WHEN YOU GO HOME.
SO THIS IS GONNA BE AN ISSUE THAT BOTH OF YOU NEED
TO WORK AT IT AT THE SAME TIME.
YEAH.
BUT IF YOU'RE STICKING WITH THE DIET,
BE ABLE TO LOSE AT LEAST 50 POUNDS A MONTH.
OKAY.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, THEN I WILL APPROVE YOU
FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
OKAY? -OKAY.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY,
EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE UP TO YOU.
-BE UP TO ME. YEAH. -OKAY?
YOU'RE RIGHT. LIKE YOU SAY.
YOU BRING THE HORSE TO THE WELL, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE HIM DRINK.
SO I GOT IT.
AND WE'LL GET THE AMBULANCE TO TAKE YOU TO REHAB,
AND YOU'RE GONNA START WORKING WITH THEM EVERY DAY
AND GET UP AND DO YOUR EXERCISES,
AND HOPEFULLY HERE, VERY SOON, WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF THIS BED.
-OKAY. -I'LL SEE YOU OVER THERE.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND WE'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU. OKAY?
ALL RIGHT. THANKS, DR. NOW.
MM-HMM.
Dr. Nowzaradan: OCTAVIA'S CONTINUED IMMOBILITY
AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASES HER LONG-TERM OUTLOOK.
BUT WITH THE REHAB FACILITY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK
ON BUILDING UP HER STAMINA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
BECAUSE OCTAVIA DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WASTE
BEFORE HER CONDITION GETS MUCH WORSE.
Octavia: I'M GLAD DR. NOW'S HELPING ME
AND THAT I HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
BUT RIGHT NOW I'M FEELING SCARED BECAUSE I'M BEING TRANSFERRED.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I'M GONNA BE.
SO MY ANXIETY IS SUPER HIGH,
AND I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS JUST A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE.
♪♪
10, 11, 12.
I'VE BEEN IN THE REHAB FACILITY FOR ALMOST A MONTH,
AND I'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO DO ALL MY EXERCISES.
I USE A POLE WITH WEIGHTS ON IT,
EXERCISING MY ARMS AND MY LEGS, DOING LEG LIFTS, TOE CURLS,
SOME STRETCHING -- DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S VERY PAINFUL,
BUT I THINK I'M GETTING THERE TO BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN.
SO I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT MY PROGRESS
AND HOW FAR I'M COMING.
I KNOW I'M NOT WHERE DR. NOW WANTS ME TO BE YET,
BUT I'M GETTING CLOSE,
BECAUSE I'M ALREADY ABLE TO DO A LOT MORE,
AND I'M ABLE TO STAND UP AND GET INTO MY WHEELCHAIR.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
HEY, MISS OCTAVIA.
WE'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING YOU FOR A SHOWER.
-OKAY. -SOUNDS GOOD?
SOUNDS GOOD.
LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY HELP.
OCTAVIA, WE WANT YOU TO SIT ON THE EDGE OF THE BED HERE,
AND ONCE YOU GET SEATED,
WE'LL TRANSFER INTO YOUR WHEELCHAIR.
Octavia: IT'S DEFINITELY SCARY
BECAUSE I HAVE THAT FEAR OF I CAN'T DO IT.
ALL RIGHT.
I'M SCARED THAT I'M GONNA FALL OR HURT MYSELF
IN SOME TYPE OF WAY.
♪♪
BUT NOW THAT I CAN GET OUT OF BED,
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IS TO TAKE A SHOWER,
AND THAT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE,
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE TO SPONGE-BATH EVERY DAY,
THE WATER'S NOT REALLY HOT.
WHEN YOU GET TO MY SIZE AND BEDRIDDEN,
YOU REALIZE ALL THE THINGS YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED
BEFORE YOU GOT TO THAT POINT, AND A HOT SHOWER,
IT'S BEEN A NICE REWARD FOR ALL MY HARD WORK.
SO YOU CAN TAKE A STAND FROM HERE.
OKAY.
SO I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH ALL MY PROGRESS
BECAUSE I'M WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN.
I DON'T WANT TO MISS MY GOALS
WHEN DR. NOW COMES BACK TO SEE ME.
IF THAT HAPPENS, I'M NOT SURE I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.
BECAUSE THIS IS MY ONLY CHANCE TO GET THE HELP
I NEED TO SAVE MY LIFE.
AND I CAN'T LOSE IT.
♪♪
Octavia: IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS I'VE BEEN HERE IN REHAB,
AND TODAY IS THE DAY DR. NOW IS COMING TO SEE IF I HIT MY GOALS.
I'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET TO WHERE I NEED,
AND I'M EXCITED AT THE CHANCE TO FINALLY GO GET SETTLED
INTO MY APARTMENT WITH NICHELLE.
I'VE HARDLY SEEN HER BECAUSE SHE'S ONLY BEEN ABLE
TO VISIT ME A FEW TIMES.
SO I'M REALLY HOPING DR. NOW
TELLS ME I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GO HOME TODAY.
BUT HE WANTS ME TO SHOW HIM
THAT I'VE AT LEAST MADE ENOUGH PROGRESS WITH MY STAMINA
TO BE ABLE TO STAND TO GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED.
BUT THAT MAKES ME REALLY NERVOUS,
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET UP,
BUT I'VE STILL NEEDED MY WALKER TO STAND.
SO I HOPE I CAN DO IT.
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
HI, OCTAVIA.
Octavia: HEY, DR. NOW.
ALL RIGHT.
SO ARE YOU READY TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW?
BECAUSE YOU ARE ANXIOUS TO GET HOME?
YEAH. I'M READY.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S FIRST SIT ON THE SIDE OF THE BED.
OKAY.
♪♪
HELLO. -HELLO.
TAKE YOUR TIME.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT. JUST STAND THERE FOR A SECOND, OKAY?
-MM-HMM. -EVERYTHING'S FINE.
GET BACK UP THERE.
♪♪
NOW IS WHEN YOU NEED TO LET GO
AND STAND ON YOUR OWN FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS.
MM-HMM.
OKAY.
YOU'RE DOWN TO 584.
THAT'S WEIGHT LOSS OF 108 POUNDS.
OKAY.
ALL RIGHT.
I'M PROUD OF YOU.
SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND SEND YOU HOME TODAY.
-OKAY. -BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO SHOW ME
THAT YOU'RE READY TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN.
MM-HMM.
SO I WANT YOU TO LOSE 50 POUNDS IN A MONTH,
AND WE'RE GONNA SEND PHYSICAL THERAPY TO YOUR APARTMENT
TWO DAYS A WEEK TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOU
AND MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO GET OUT OF BED.
-OKAY. -AND NEXT TIME I SEE YOU,
I WANT IT TO BE IN MY CLINIC, WALKING IN.
-OKAY. -IF YOU DO ALL THAT,
THEN I'LL APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
-OKAY. -OKAY?
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.
MY HANDS ARE SWEATY. SORRY.
YOU'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.
Dr. Nowzaradan: I THINK OCTAVIA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB
THESE PAST COUPLE MONTHS.
BUT A BIG FACTOR IN THE WEIGHT SHE'S LOST
HAS BEEN A RESULT OF HER ENABLER
NOT BEING ABLE TO VISIT VERY MUCH.
SO THE BIG QUESTION NOW IS HOW SHE'S GONNA DO ON HER OWN
AND IF SHE'S GONNA STICK WITH IT.
SO THIS WILL BE EXTREMELY HARD FOR HER,
BUT IF SHE TRULY WANTS TO SAVE HER LIFE
AND GET HEALTHY LIKE SHE NEED,
SHE WILL HIT HER GOAL BY THE NEXT TIME I SEE HER.
ARE WE GOING OUT? OUT.
Octavia: I'M EXHAUSTED, BUT I FEEL REALLY GOOD.
AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF FOR GETTING THIS FAR.
BUT I'M REALLY THANKFUL THAT IT'S PAID OFF
AND THAT I'M MORE ACTIVE THAN I'VE BEEN IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
AND I AM EXCITED TO GO HOME.
I HAVEN'T SEEN MY HOUSE, I HAVEN'T SEEN MY FRIEND,
SO I'M EXCITED TO JUST START MY NEW LIFE HERE.
♪♪
YEAH. WE NEED TO MOVE.
ALL RIGHTY. YOU'RE GOOD TO GO.
THANK YOU, GUYS, SO MUCH.
NO PROBLEM.
OH, MY GOD, AUNTIE!
I'M SO GLAD TO BE HOME.
OHH.
FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY YOU'RE HERE.
FOREVER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLACE?
-I LIKE IT. -ALL RIGHT.
OH, GOD. IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE HOME.
NOW WE GOT TO STAY ON TRACK.I KNOW.
SO I TALKED TO DR. NOW TODAY, AND HE TALKED ABOUT
YOU COMING INTO THE CLINIC, AND HE WAS LIKE,
"YOU GUYS CAN'T ENABLE EACH OTHER" AND STUFF, SO.
YEAH. I'VE BEEN DOING PRETTY GOOD BY MYSELF.
YEAH. SO WE HAVE TO, UM, YOU KNOW,
REALLY JUST STAY ON TRACK,
BE MORE ACTIVE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, SO.
I'M LIKE, "WE'LL BE OKAY."
WE GOT IT. MY BABIES.
OCTAVIA, WE GOT IT.
YEP.
SEXY, SLIM COMING 2020.
[ LAUGHTER ]
OH, MAN.
THIS IS TOO COOL.
♪♪
Octavia: I'VE BEEN HOME FOR A COUPLE WEEKS NOW,
AND I'M STILL WORKING HARD TO DO MY EXERCISES AND DIET.
BUT I'VE EASED UP A LITTLE ON HOW MUCH I WAS DOING
AND HOW STRICT OF A REGIMEN I WAS FOLLOWING IN THE FACILITY.
NOT A LOT, BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE
WHAT I'M DOING NOW IS MORE BALANCED.
HEY.
YOU WANT TO EAT SOMETHING?
OKAY. THANKS, BABY.
MM-HMM.
NICHELLE IS DOING HER PART BY MAKING ME HEALTHIER MEALS.
THEY MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY FREE OF BUTTER
AND EVERYTHING THAT GIVES GOOD FLAVOR,
BUT THEY'RE MUCH HEALTHIER THAN WHAT I WAS EATING.
HERE YOU GO.
WHAT'D YOU MAKE?
EGGS AND -- SOME PICO.
YES.
MY ONLY REAL WEAKNESS IS CHIPS,
AND I'VE ONLY GIVEN IN A FEW TIMES AND HAD SOME.
SO I'M STICKING TO THE 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET
WITH ONLY MINOR EXCEPTIONS.
SO I KNOW I'M STILL ON TRACK, AND I'M FEELING CONFIDENT
I'M GONNA HIT MY GOAL.
♪♪
TODAY, ME AND NICHELLE ARE GOING TO SEE DR. NOW
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS OFFICE.
HE SAID THAT NOW THAT I'M GETTING OUT OF BED
THAT I SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING IN A REGULAR VEHICLE,
AND HE'S NOT SENDING MEDICAL TRANSPORT FOR ME.
SO NICHELLE CALLED ME A CAB WITH A RAMP
SO I CAN TRY AND GET IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE.
BUT I'M REALLY NERVOUS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG TIME
SINCE I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIT IN A NORMAL CAR.
♪♪
TO GET IN THE CAR?
I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD LIFT UP THERE.
I CAN TRY.
HOW ARE YOU GONNA LIFT UP THAT HIGH?
I DON'T THINK YOU -- I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S KIND OF HIGH FOR HER.
DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO GET IN MY CAR
OR DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO WALK UP THIS RAMP?
OKAY. YOU WANT ME PULL MY CAR,
TRY TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET IN THERE?
OKAY.
OCTAVIA, WE'RE ON.
♪♪
HERE WE GO.
ONE, TWO, THREE.
OH.
I GOT YOU.
TAKE YOUR TIME, OCTAVIA.
BREATHE.
YOU GOT THIS.
I LET THE SEAT BACK.
IT'S UP HIGH.
WELL, LAY BACK.
ALL RIGHT. HOLD ON. HOLD ON.
ONE, TWO, THREE.
YOU GOT IT UP THERE. SLIDE IT ON IN.
YOU GOT IT.
-OKAY. -OKAY.
CLOSE THE DOOR.
Octavia: I WAS HOPING WITH ALL MY PROGRESS
THIS WOULD BE EASIER, BUT IT'S NOT.
AND I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN RIGHT NOW.
I JUST HOPE I CAN MAKE IT.
BECAUSE I CAN'T MISS MY APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOW.
♪♪
Nichelle: WE ARE HERE.
THANK YOU, JESUS.
♪♪
[ GRUNTING ]
YOU GOT IT, OCTAVIA?
I DON'T KNOW.
THE CHAIR'S RIGHT THERE.
[ GRUNTS ]
ALL RIGHT. YOU DID IT.
GOOD JOB.
OKAY.
I'M REALLY STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE I'M JUST COMPLETELY DRAINED,
AND I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO STAND ON MY OWN
AND GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED
WITHOUT SOMETHING TO LEAN ON FOR SUPPORT
BECAUSE I JUST DON'T HAVE IT IN ME.
BUT I HAVE TO TRY.
OCTAVIA GAHAGANS.
WHEN I LEFT REHAB, I MADE IT DOWN TO 584,
AND DR. NOW SAID I HAD TO LOSE 50 POUNDS THIS MONTH.
SO THAT MEANS I NEED TO BE BELOW 534 TODAY.
OKAY.
AND I THINK I DID THAT.
I JUST HAVE TO STAND TO GET MY WEIGHT CHECKED.
♪♪
OH, IT HURTS.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, AND I'M REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW.
IT'S OKAY.
GOT TO TRY A LITTLE HARDER NEXT TIME.
YOU'RE GONNA GET IT.
YEAH. -OKAY.
YOU GUYS CAN GO TO ROOM 5.
-THANK YOU. -YOU'RE WELCOME.
Octavia: I THOUGHT I HAD LOST MORE THAN THAT, AND I HAVEN'T.
I KNOW I FELL SHORT WITH MY STRESS EATING,
AND I'VE HAD ISSUES TO WHERE, YOU KNOW,
I HAVEN'T DONE CORRECTLY, SO.
DR. NOW, I'M SURE, IS GONNA BE UPSET
BECAUSE I DIDN'T MEET MY GOAL,
SO I WON'T BE APPROVED FOR SURGERY TODAY.
I KNOW THAT.
WE MADE IT. WE'RE HERE. CAN'T GIVE UP NOW.
I'M DISAPPOINTED.
YOU WIN SOME.
YOU WIN SOME LATER.
I DIDN'T MAKE IT.
WE'LL SEE WHAT HE SAYS WHEN HE COMES IN HERE.
-HELLO. -HELLO.
HI, DR. NOW.
HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?
OH. WE'RE HERE.
ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.
SO YOU'RE ALMOST 100 POUNDS OFF
FROM WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE.
WHAT HAPPENED?
THINGS HAVE BEEN HECTIC FOR ME.
I'M STRESSED OUT. -WHAT DO YOU MEAN "BEEN HECTIC"?
IT'S JUST BEEN A LOT. I'VE BEEN STRESSED.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M STRESSED, I EAT.
SO WE'RE GIVING YOU THIS CHANCE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE,
AND YOU TELL ME YOU CAN'T DO IT RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE YOU'RE STRESSED?
BECAUSE THAT'S NEVER GONNA CHANGE.
LIFE IS FULL OF STRESS.I KNOW.
SO YOU MAKE ALL THOSE CHANGES TO COME HERE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE,
AND NOW YOU'RE NOT CHANGING.
BOTH OF YOU ARE TOGETHER.
SHE'S OVERWEIGHT. YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT.
YOU'RE NOT LOSING WEIGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE
AN ENABLER TAKING CARE OF YOU,
AND YOU BOTH SEEM TO HAVE NO DESIRE TO CHANGE.
SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF COMING DOWN HERE
AND NOT FOLLOWING OUR DIET?
DR. NOW, I NEED THERAPY.
I NEED HELP. IT'S NOT SOMETHING --
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH.
IT'S AN ADJUSTMENT, DR. NOW.
WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE.
NOTHING YOU ARE SAYING MATTERS.
SO WHY EVEN SAY ANYTHING?
IT'S AN ADJUSTMENT FOR US.
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
THIS IS AN ADJUSTMENT FOR US -- BOTH OF US.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH OUR ENTIRE LIVES,
AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,
AND SHE'S NOT A PET, SO I CAN'T TREAT HER LIKE A PET.
SHE'S A HUMAN BEING TO ME, SO I TRY TO TALK TO HER --
WE DON'T WANT HER TO BE TREATED LIKE A PET.
NOT FEEDING HER WHATEVER SHE WANTS DOESN'T MAKE HER A PET.
THAT'S ENABLER LOGIC.
I WANT YOU TO BE SUPPORTIVE --I AM SUPPORTIVE.
AND BEING SUPPORTIVE, THAT MEANS THAT YOU STOP
BRINGING HER UNHEALTHY FOOD THAT'S KILLING HER,
AND YOU BOTH DO THE SAME THING AND BOTH LOSE WEIGHT.
YES. YOU'RE RIGHT.
BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WHY.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE RESULT.
NOBODY'S FIXING THE WHY.
IF YOU'VE BEEN ADDICTED TO SOMETHING YOUR WHOLE LIFE,
AND YOU GIVE ME A PIECE OF PAPER, AND YOU SAY,
"HEY, DO THIS," THE PAPER'S NOT GONNA CHANGE ME.
EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN GIVEN
IS STILL NOT HELPING ME TO THE WHY.
ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.
DO YOU WANT TO START THERAPY TO ADDRESS THE WHY?
THEN WE'LL START YOU ON THERAPY.
BUT LET ME TRY TO CLEAR SOMETHING UP.
RIGHT NOW, FOR THIS FIRST WEIGHT-LOSS GOAL,
IT IS A MATTER OF CHOICE.
STICKING WITH IT IS WHAT THERAPY ADDRESSES.
THE WHY HAS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR THE LONG-TERM.
BECAUSE DISCIPLINE WILL EVENTUALLY FALL TO TEMPTATION
IF YOU HAVEN'T ADDRESSED A CORE ISSUE AT PLAY.
SO DOING IT FROM SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR,
AND FOR A LIFETIME, THAT'S THE STRUGGLE.
MARK TWAIN SAID, "QUITTING SMOKING IS EASY.
I'VE DONE IT A THOUSAND TIMES."
HIS POINT WAS, STICKING TO IT
AND RESISTING TEMPTATION IS HARD.
MAKING A CHOICE TO CHANGE ISN'T.
OKAY? MM-HMM.
SO IF YOU WANT TO START WITH THERAPY,
THEN WE'LL START TO GO INTO THAT.
AND WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS GIVE YOU ANOTHER MONTH
TO LOSE 50 POUNDS LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE.
OKAY? AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES,
YOU PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ME.
OKAY.
THANK YOU, DR. NOW.
-ALL RIGHT? -ALL RIGHT.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, AND BE GOOD SUPPORT FOR HER.
I HAVE BEEN. [ CHUCKLES ]
♪♪
I JUST WANT TO BE BETTER.
Dr. Nowzaradan: INSTEAD OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY,
OCTAVIA IS BLAMING HER EMOTIONS
AND MAKING EXCUSES TO JUSTIFY HER CHOICES.
BUT IF SHE AND NICHELLE DON'T START TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY,
THEN IN ANOTHER MONTH, SHE WILL BE BACK UP TO ALMOST 700 POUNDS,
AND SHE WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN FROM THERE
AND BECOME IMMOBILE AGAIN.
SO THEY'RE BOTH PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME RIGHT NOW,
AND THEY NEED TO WAKE UP.
-ALL RIGHT. -I'M SO READY TO GO.
I CAN'T GET OUT OF HERE FAST ENOUGH.
♪♪
Octavia: THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS HAVE BEEN HARD.
NICHELLE HAS BEEN REALLY UPSET AFTER THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT.
DR. NOW SAYING SHE'S MY ENABLER UPSET HER,
AND SO THINGS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE TENSE BETWEEN US,
AND SHE'S THINKING IT'S BEST IF SHE GOES BACK TO KANSAS CITY.
BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE DOWN HERE,
AND THE STRESS OF IT ALL HAS BEEN TOO MUCH FOR ME.
SO I'M REALLY STRUGGLING.
AND WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON,
I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO START GOING TO THE THERAPY
DR. NOW SET UP FOR ME,
AND I KNOW HE ISN'T HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
SO I JUST HAVE TO GET THIS ALL FIGURED OUT WITH NICHELLE.
BUT IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE,
THEN I DON'T WANT TO MAKE HER FEEL LIKE SHE HAS TO.
HELLO. HI.
WHAT YOU DOING?
[ SIGHS ] JUST THINKING.
HERE'S THE THING. THIS IS WHAT I FEEL LIKE.
I KNOW WHAT DR. NOW IS SAYING --
I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.
JUST -- PLEASE.I KNOW IT'S HARD TO HEAR,
AND I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROCESS.
I'M ALREADY A PART OF THE PROCESS. I JUST --
BUT YOU'RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT,
AND, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW,
A LOT OF WHAT HE'S SAYING IS TRUE, AND I GET IT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO TAKE CRITICISM,
AND I KNOW IT'S STRESSFUL FOR YOU.
I JUST DON'T WANT THAT DYNAMIC.
BECAUSE IF HE SAYS SOMETHING TO YOU,
IT UPSETS YOU, THEN I FEEL BAD
BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I PUT YOU IN THIS POSITION.
YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL LIKE THAT.
WELL, I CAN'T HELP IT.YEAH.
I JUST DON'T WANT THE TENSION.
IT'S HURTING ME, AND IT'S HURTING YOU.
AND I DON'T WANT THAT.
I'M DAMNED IF I DO, DAMNED IF I DON'T.
IF I DO RIGHT, YOU STILL GET ATTACKED.
IF YOU DO WRONG, YOU STILL GET ATTACKED.
BUT WE DIDN'T DO RIGHT, CHELLE.
I'M NOT LOSING WEIGHT.
BUT WE DIDN'T DO WRONG ALL THE WAY EITHER, OCTAVIA.
WE DIDN'T DO RIGHT. IT'S NOT RIGHT.
OKAY, SO WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DID WRONG?
IT'S NOT LIKE EVERY DAY WE GO OUT AND LIKE,
"OH, WE GONNA EAT THIS, THIS, THIS."
RIGHT. I GET THAT.
BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT, OKAY, WE DID GOOD FOR BREAKFAST,
WE DID GOOD FOR LUNCH, WE JACKED UP ON DINNER.
RIGHT. OKAY.
WE'RE DOING THIS EVERY DAY.
SO, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW HOW YOU SAY THE GOOD OUTWEIGH THE BAD.
BUT THAT BAD IS KEEPING ME STUCK.
I UNDERSTAND.SO I'M NOT LOSING WEIGHT.
SO WE ARE MESSING UP.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING IS WE HAVE TO OWN IT.
I OWN THAT, AND I FEEL RESPONSIBLE,
AND THAT'S ONE REASON I WAS LIKE,
"FROM THIS POINT ON, MAYBE WHAT I'M DOING AIN'T RIGHT."
THAT'S WHAT I FEEL LIKE.
DAMNED IF I DO, DAMNED IF I DON'T.
BUT IT'S BOTH OF US. I'M NOT SAYING --
BUT YOU'RE NOT BEING BLAMED FOR IT.
YES, I AM.
IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S JUST SAYING, "NICHELLE, NICHELLE, NICHELLE."
HE BLAMES ME, TOO.
I HAVE TO CHANGE. I KNOW IT'S HARD.
I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR ME, IT'S HARD FOR YOU
BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY WE'VE HAD TO COPE WITH LIFE.
AND NOBODY'S GONNA UNDERSTAND THAT FOR US.
BUT IF WE KEEP DOING THE WAY THAT WE'RE DOING,
WE'RE NOT GONNA BE HERE.
WE'VE BEEN IN SURVIVOR MODE SINCE WE WERE LITTLE GIRLS.
THE SAME STUFF HAPPENED TO ME HAPPENED TO YOU.
[ Voice breaking ] WE'VE HAD THE SAME STUFF.
BUT WE GOT TO CHANGE THIS.
WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP ON DOING LIKE WE'RE DOING.
WE GOT TO STOP.
WE GOT TO CHANGE.
THIS AIN'T ABOUT ME. THIS IS ABOUT YOU RIGHT NOW.
NO, CHELLE, IT IS.
IT IS FOR YOU.
YOU GOT TO DO IT, TOO.
OCTAVIA, THIS AIN'T ABOUT ME.
THIS IS ABOUT YOU.NO, NO, NO.
I'M TALKING ABOUT LIFE.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I'M JUST SAYING. WE GOT TO DO BETTER.
OKAY.
SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING, FINE.
IF NOT, I PROMISE I'M NOT GONNA BE MAD.
I DON'T WANT YOU GONE,
[ Normal voice ] BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO THROUGH THIS,
AND YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
OCTAVIA, YOU ACT LIKE YOU DON'T GET UPSET, TOO.
I DO, TOO. OKAY, THEN.
I TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY ON MY PART.
I [BLEEP] UP WITH YOU.
I [BLEEP] UP WITH MYSELF.
SO I TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY FULL-FLEDGE ON MY SHOULDER.
SO, YOU KNOW, LET ME BE HOW I AM.
THAT'S JUST ME.
ALL RIGHT.
MM.
Octavia: I CAN'T DO THIS ON MY OWN.
AND I CAN'T QUIT AND GO BACK HOME.
IF I DO THAT, THEN I'LL LOSE EVERYTHING.
SO I JUST HAVE TO SETTLE THINGS WITH NICHELLE.
BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.
♪♪
IT'S CONTINUED TO BE A DIFFICULT TIME
BECAUSE ME AND NICHELLE ARE STILL TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT.
IT SEEMS LIKE ALL WE'RE DOING
IS EITHER AVOIDING EACH OTHER OR ARGUING.
SO I TOLD HER THAT I THINK WE BOTH DESERVE
TO JUST TAKE A BREAK AND THAT WE'VE EARNED A CHEAT DAY.
♪♪
[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]
HELLO. THANK YOU.
HERE YOU GO. CHICKEN, CHICKEN, CHICKEN.
[ LAUGHS ]
THAT'S MY NAME FOR THAT STUFF.
LIKE, OH, MY GOD.
ALL RIGHT. WHAT'D YOU GET US HERE?
SOME CHICKEN STRIPS.
AND THE DEVIL.
THAT BISCUIT IS THE DEVIL.
Nichelle: FOR OCTAVIA AND MYSELF, THE ADJUSTMENT
HAS BEEN VERY HARD TO GO
FROM EATING WHAT YOU WANT TO 1,200 CALORIES,
AND IF I'VE ENABLED OCTAVIA
BECAUSE THAT'S JUST WHAT I'VE DONE, THAT'S MY BABY.
I LOVE HER SO MUCH THAT I GIVE TO HER.
IT'S HARD TO TELL HER NO.
BUT THIS IS ALL WE KNOW.
I WONDER HOW MANY CALORIES IS THIS?
A WHOLE DAY.
YEAH, RIGHT.
THIS IS MY LAST PIECE OF CARB FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
I KNOW.
THEN EAT IT! I AM.
THAT'S HOW I EAT.
Octavia: I THINK THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEEDED,
BUT I KNOW THERE'S STILL A LOT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT,
AND I'M STRESSED AND SCARED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
BECAUSE IF NICHELLE DOES DECIDE TO GO BACK,
THEN I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN DO THIS.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE OCTAVIA'S LAST APPOINTMENT,
AND SINCE THEN, SHE MISSED TWO APPOINTMENTS WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY,
AND SHE MISSED HER FOLLOW-UP WITH ME.
SO THIS ISN'T LOOKING GOOD.
SO I'M CALLING HER TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
♪♪
[ Line ringing ]
Octavia: Hello?
OCTAVIA, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
I'm in a lot of pain.
I am hurting so bad.
I went to resume my psych,
and, like, in the front of it is steps, and then it's a ramp,
and I was trying to go up the ramp,
and my body just started breaking down on me.
I couldn't make it, and it's my hip.
My hip is hurting real bad.
DID YOU MAKE IT TO YOUR PSYCHOTHERAPY AND GO IN,
OR YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT?
No, I didn't. It was hard.
SO IF I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING YOU'RE SAYING CORRECTLY,
YOU HURT YOUR HIP SOMEHOW IN YOUR WHEELCHAIR,
AND YOU'RE HOME WITH A SERIOUS INJURY
THAT YOU'RE JUST HOPING GET BETTER
INSTEAD OF CALLING US FOR HELP?
I don't know.
WHAT DO YOU NOT KNOW?
YOU KEEP MISSING YOUR APPOINTMENTS
AND YOU'RE MAKING EXCUSES.
I'M NOT SURE IF THOSE EXCUSES ARE REAL
OR YOU'RE MAKING THEM UP.
IF THEY'RE REAL, THEN YOU SHOULD GO TO A HOSPITAL
AND HAVE A CHECK AND MAKE SURE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.
BUT IF NOT, YOU NEED TO COME IN TODAY
SO WE CAN SEE WHERE YOUR WEIGHT IS AT.
Dr. Now, my hip hurts.
I can't hardly stand on it.
Unless somebody at your end come pick me up
and bring me to the appointment, yes.
But it still hurts.
IF IT HURTS THAT BAD,
THEN WE NEED TO GET YOU IN THE HOSPITAL TO CHECK IT OUT.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING IS SERIOUS.
SO I'LL SEND AN AMBULANCE TO PICK YOU UP
AND TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL TODAY.
-Okay. -OKAY.
BYE-BYE. -Bye, Doctor.
ONCE WE GET OCTAVIA TO THE HOSPITAL,
WE'LL CHECK HER HIP AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
BUT I THINK THIS IS JUST MORE GAMES
BECAUSE SHE'S STILL BEEN OVEREATING,
AND SHE WANTS TO AVOID THE SCALE.
BUT WE WILL GET HER TO THE HOSPITAL AND SEE.
♪♪
Octavia: AFTER I TALKED TO DR. NOW,
MY HIP STARTED TO FEEL BETTER.
SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND AGAIN.
BUT HE SAID HE WANTS ME TO COME TO THE CLINIC
FOR A FOLLOW-UP IMMEDIATELY.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M READY FOR A WEIGH-IN.
THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS HAVE BEEN HARD.
BUT I'M FINALLY IN A PLACE TO START MAKING THE PROGRESS
I NEED TO HIT MY GOALS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON
TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT WITH NICHELLE.
AND I JUST RECENTLY GOT A HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT
TO TAKE ALL THE PRESSURE AND RESPONSIBILITY OFF OF HER.
SO THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER.
BUT I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO DO WHAT I NEED.
SO I'M HAVING TO DO THIS WAY TOO EARLY.
OCTAVIA GAHAGANS.
Nichelle: HELLO. EXCUSE US.
THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I WAS 646,
AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOSE 50 POUNDS.
SO THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE DOWN TO 596 TODAY,
AND I'M NOT SURE HOW CLOSE I AM TO THAT.
♪♪
I KNEW I WASN'T READY FOR A WEIGH-IN,
SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS FAIR TO HAVE TO DO.
'CAUSE IT'S BEEN HARD.
LIKE, EVERY WEEK IT'S SOMETHING GOING ON.
I'M A STRESS EATER, AND I'VE BEEN UNDER TREMENDOUS STRESS
SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE -- NOT JUST THE WEIGHT LOSS,
BUT MOVING AND TRYING TO GET ADJUSTED.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST BEEN HECTIC.
SO, YOU KNOW, I DEFINITELY KNOW HE'S NOT GONNA APPROVE ME.
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR WHATEVER DR. NOW HAS TO SAY.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
-HELLO. -HI, DR. NOW.
-HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING? -PRETTY GOOD.
I'M FINE.
Dr. Nowzaradan: ALL RIGHT, OCTAVIA.
IS YOUR HIP STILL FEELING BETTER?
YEAH. I THINK THE PAIN MEDICINE STARTED TO KICK IN.
OKAY. WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE ABLE
TO GET BACK OUT OF BED AND BE HERE.
SO THAT'S A GOOD IMPROVEMENT. -MM-HMM.
UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT HASN'T IMPROVED IS YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.
YOU'RE LESS THAN 10 POUNDS FROM THE WEIGHT YOU ARRIVED AT.
SO, WE GIVE YOU ALL THE TOOLS,
ALL THE OPPORTUNITY, ALL THE RESOURCES,
BUT YOU'RE STILL OVEREATING, AND YOU STILL HAVE AN ENABLER,
AND NOW YOU'VE GOT, WHAT, TWO PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF YOU?
NO, IT'S NOT TWO PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF ME.
SHE'S HOME HEALTH.
LIKE CLEANING AND --MY HOME-HEALTH PERSON.
THAT'S WHO SHE IS. -WHY DO YOU NEED SO MUCH HELP?
THERE IS NO REASON YOU SHOULD STILL BE RELYING
ON EVERYONE ELSE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.
SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR YOURSELF?
I HAVE BEEN TRYING, DR. NOW.
-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE TRYING? -I SAID I TRY.
IF YOU DIDN'T TRY, YOU'RE GONNA BE 700 POUNDS?
EVEN THOUGH I GAINED SOME WEIGHT,
IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T LOST ANYTHING.
YOU LOST IN THE HOSPITAL, NOT BY YOURSELF.
DR. NOW, NO, I -- NO.
SOME OF THAT IS ME.
THE THINGS YOU'RE SAYING DON'T LINE UP WITH REALITY.
IF YOU GO HOME, AND YOU DECIDED YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE
YOUR EATING HABIT,
YOU WOULD HAVE LOST WEIGHT, RIGHT?
SO WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO DIFFERENT THIS TIME?
I'M GONNA HAVE TO BE MORE COMMITTED TO DO
WHAT I NEED TO DO.THAT'S A FIGURE OF SPEECH.
THAT'S NOT ACTION.
YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS THE SITUATION IS.
ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU -- YOU GET A COLD OR ANYTHING --
THAT'LL BE THE END.
NOBODY CAN HELP YOU.
YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE,
AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU ARE HELPING YOU KILL YOURSELF.
SO THE ONLY SOLUTION I SEE, IF WE PUT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL,
GET YOU ON A CONTROLLED DIET,
GET YOU AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE THAT BRING YOU FOOD
AND GET YOUR WEIGHT BACK DOWN.
OTHER THAN THAT, YOU GO HOME HOPING AND PRAYING
FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN.
-CAN I SAY SOMETHING? -SURE.
I JUST STARTED WITH HER FRIDAY, AND I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH HER,
AND THE PLAN WAS, I WAS GONNA START A MEAL PREP FOR HER
TO WHERE I COULD MANAGE AND LIMIT, YOU KNOW,
THE THINGS THAT SHE'S TAKING IN, AND I WAS GOING TO GO
TO THE STORE AND GET THE THINGS THAT SHE NEEDS.
YEAH, BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE THERE 24 HOURS A DAY.
CORRECT.
-YOU KNOW, A PERSON LIKE THAT -- -UH-HUH.
IN 10 MINUTES, THEY CAN CONSUME 6,000 CALORIES.
OKAY.
SO YOU MAY NOT REALIZE EVERYTHING YOU'RE UP
AGAINST TO HAVE TO DO THIS.
WHEN YOU GET IN THE SITUATION
THAT THERE IS NO CONTROL IN EATING HABIT,
THERE'S A PERSON IN THE HOUSE THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM,
THAT'S GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CORRECT.
UH-HUH.
SO, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT YOUR ROLE IS GONNA MAKE A CHANGE?
I SEE MY ROLE MAKING A CHANGE BY GIVING HER THE PUSH
IF SHE'S WILLING TO ACCEPT THE PUSH.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HELP HER TO ADJUST HER
EATING HABIT AND STICK WITH IT?
YES.
SO, WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN WITH NICHELLE?
WHAT -- WITH HER? YES.
I'M WILLING TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE
WITH NOT ONLY OCTAVIA, BUT MISS NICHELLE, ALSO.
AND ALL I'M ASKING FOR IS GIVE HER
TILL HER NEXT VISIT AND JUST SEE.
IF SHE STILL WENT OVER, THAT'S HER.
THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING.ALL RIGHT.
SO, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU TWO MONTHS,
BUT IF SHE'S NOT DOING WHAT SHE NEEDS THIS NEXT MONTH,
THEN YOU NEED TO TELL ME BECAUSE WE NEED TO INTERVENE.
BUT IF YOU FEEL YOU'RE MAKING PROGRESS WITH HER,
AND SHE'S NOT GAINING AND MAKING EXCUSES,
THEN I EXPECT TO SEE AT LEAST
100 POUNDS WEIGHT LOSS IN THAT TIME.
BUT, OCTAVIA, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.
YOU GOT IT?
AND YOU'RE GOING TO THERAPY.
NO MORE EXCUSES.MM-HMM.
SO, WE'RE GONNA RELY ON YOU TO MAKE THE CHANGES,
BUT IF AFTER THIS, WE HAVEN'T LOST ANY WEIGHT,
THEN AT THAT POINT, OUR CHOICES WILL BE HERE
AND GIVE UP OR PUT HER IN THE HOSPITAL
AND ISOLATE HER FROM EVERYBODY, PUT HER ON CONTROLLED DIET.
ARE WE CLEAR ABOUT EVERYTHING NOW?
-YEAH. -ALL RIGHT.
CALL ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING. -ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, DR. NOW.
NICE TO MEET YOU.SAME HERE.
THANK YOU.
Dr. Nowzaradan: OCTAVIA AND NICHELLE CONTINUE
TO PLAY A DANGEROUS GAME
WITH OCTAVIA'S LIFE HANGING IN THE BALANCE.
BUT I'M HOPING CALITA IS ABLE TO HANDLE
ADDRESSING THE DYNAMIC WITH THEM
AND HELP GET THINGS GOING IN THE DIRECTION
THEY NEED BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
BUT IF SHE DOESN'T,
THEN OCTAVIA'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE MUCH LONGER.
♪♪
Octavia: THIS PAST MONTH HAS BEEN GOOD.
BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE,
I TRULY FEEL LIKE I HAVE IT IN ME TO CHANGE MY LIFE.
I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE THERAPY DR. NOW SET UP FOR ME,
AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER BEEN ABLE
TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS I DID.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MYSELF,
AND I REALIZE THAT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE BACKBONE FOR EVERYONE,
BUT I CAN'T BE THAT FOR MYSELF.
BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE MY HURDLES ARE MOUNTAINS,
WHEREAS, IF I'M HELPING SOMEBODY ELSE, IT'S NOT AS HARD,
AND I HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT AND NOT GIVE UP ON ME.
BUT I PLAN TO KEEP FACING WHAT I NEED NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS.
I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF WORK, BUT I'M READY.
BECAUSE I WANT A NEW LIFE.
SO RIGHT NOW, I'M MAKING SURE I'M DOING WHAT I NEED
AND WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN TO TAKE THE NEXT BIG STEP
AND GET WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HIT THE GOAL
DR. NOW GAVE ME BY MY NEXT APPOINTMENT IN A COUPLE WEEKS.
SO I'M STICKING TO HIS DIET COMPLETELY.
AND NICHELLE IS DOING IT WITH ME.
BUT WHEN I FIRST CAME BACK HOME,
ACTUALLY, NICHELLE WAS LIKE, "I WANT SOME PIZZA,"
AND WE DID EAT PIZZA, AND THEN I WAS LIKE,
"I WANT SOME CHIPS," AND I ATE THEM.
I DID, YOU KNOW.
BUT CALITA HELPED US PUT TOGETHER A HEALTHY MEAL PLAN
THAT FOLLOWS THE DIET.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN USING, AND, AS OF NOW,
I'M FOLLOWING MY DIET,
AND NICHELLE MAKES STEAMED VEGETABLES, ROASTED VEGETABLES,
LOTS OF CHICKEN, TUNA, AND SALAD.
GOOD OL' JUICY SALAD. [ LAUGHS ]
AND, AT FIRST, IT WAS A BIT OF AN ADJUSTMENT
BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE I WAS BACK IN THE HOSPITAL ON THEIR DIET.
BUT ME AND NICHELLE DECIDED NO MATTER WHAT,
WE NEED TO KEEP A RIGHT MIND-SET AND FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE,
AND IF WE DO THAT, WE KNOW WE'LL BE ABLE TO STICK
TO WHAT WE NEED AND MAKE IT TO OUR GOALS.
Nichelle: I WANT YOU TO KNOW I SUPPORT YOU 100%,
AND I KNOW I'M DOING THE RIGHT THINGS BY YOU
AS FAR AS YOUR EATING,
TRYING TO GET YOU THE RIGHT THINGS TO EAT
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST FOR YOU,
IT'S FOR ME, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
SO I TRY TO APPLY THAT WHEN I'M COOKING,
I'M COOKING FOR BOTH OF US.
I'M NOT JUST LETTING YOU EAT HEALTHY BY YOURSELF.
WE'RE BOTH EATING HEALTHY, AND I NEVER WILL GIVE UP ON YOU.
IT DIDN'T TAKE A DAY TO GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT
THAT YOU'VE GAINED, THAT I'VE GAINED.
IT'S NOT GONNA TAKE YOU A DAY TO LOSE IT,
BUT WE CAME DOWN HERE TOGETHER, WE'RE GONNA LEAVE TOGETHER.
SO, FOR THAT, YOU GOT MY SUPPORT.
ALWAYS. AND I APPRECIATE IT.
YOU'RE MY SISTER.
WELL, HOPEFULLY,
THINGS ARE GETTING READY TO START GETTING BETTER.
AND WE'LL BE WALKING OUT THE SURGERY ROOM
TOGETHER, POP-LOCKING.
[ LAUGHS ]
SEXY, SLIM 2020. YEAH.
Nichelle: EVEN AFTER A COUPLE SLIP-UPS,
I'M ALWAYS GONNA BE THERE FOR OCTAVIA.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN, WE'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE TOGETHER.
WE GOT FAT TOGETHER, WE'RE GONNA GET SKINNY TOGETHER.
SO MOVING FORWARD, I HOPE THAT
DR. NOW APPROVES HER FOR SURGERY SO THAT WE CAN GO FORWARD
FROM THERE AND GET ON OUR JOURNEY.
Octavia: THIS JOURNEY IS DEFINITELY A LOT MORE
THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE.
I KNOW THAT MY WEIGHT IS NOT GONNA MAGICALLY FALL OFF.
I'M NOT GONNA MAGICALLY BE, YOU KNOW, HEALED.
I CAN'T PRAY IT AWAY.
I CAN'T DO NONE OF THAT.
I HAVE TO WORK FOR IT, AND, YOU KNOW,
I REALIZE THAT, AND I HAVE TO STOP FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF
AND JUST DO IT.
SO THE NEXT TIME I SEE DR. NOW,
I HOPE AND PRAY
THAT I'M SUCCESSFUL WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS
AND THAT I HIT MY GOAL.
♪♪
ME, NICHELLE, AND CALITA ARE AT DR. NOW'S
FOR MY NEXT APPOINTMENT, AND I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS.
THIS IS GONNA BE THE MOST IMPORTANT WEIGH-IN
I'VE HAD YET BECAUSE MY FUTURE AND MY LIFE ARE RIDING ON ME
HITTING THIS GOAL AND GETTING APPROVED TODAY.
OKAY.
I KNOW I'VE BEEN WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN
AND THAT I'VE MADE PROGRESS,
AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH, AND IF IT'S ENOUGH.
IF I HAVEN'T HIT MY GOAL, I KNOW THAT MEANS IT'S ALL OVER FOR ME.
I HAVE FAILED AND LOST THE LAST CHANCE I HAD TO SAVE MY LIFE.
♪♪
Octavia: I'M AT DR. NOW'S TO FIND OUT
IF I HIT MY GOAL OR NOT, BUT I'M EXTREMELY NERVOUS
BECAUSE THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE TO GET SURGERY.
AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, I WAS AT 684,
AND DR. NOW TOLD ME TO LOSE 100 POUNDS
BY THE TIME I CAME BACK.
THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE BELOW 584 TODAY.
♪♪
I KNOW.
[ CRYING ]
LOOK AT YOU.
YOU DID IT.
[ LAUGHS ]
I'M PROUD OF YOU. LOOK AT YOU.
I'M HERE.
DR. NOW STATED THAT IF I DIDN'T LOSE
THAT HE WOULD PUT ME IN THE HOSPITAL
ON A CONTROLLED DIET OR JUST BE DONE.
SO I HAVE BEEN STAYING UNDER MY 1,200 CALORIES.
I'VE BEEN EXERCISING.
SO I'M HOPING THAT DR. NOW
WILL BE OKAY WITH THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THAT I LOST,
AND I'M PRAYING THAT I GET APPROVED FOR SURGERY TODAY.
-HELLO. -HELLO.
HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?
PRETTY GOOD.
ALL RIGHT.
SO, OCTAVIA, YOU'RE DOWN TO 585, HUH?
SO FINALLY YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT TO DO.
RIGHT? YES.
DO YOU FEEL ANY BETTER?
I DO.SO THIS IS GOOD.
AND A BIG THANKS IS DUE TO CALITA FOR COMING IN
AND HELPING YOU AND NICHELLE TO GET BACK ON TRACK.
ABSOLUTELY.
SO, GOOD JOB, CALITA.
I'M ALL SMILES.
THE MEAL PREP -- EVERYTHING WENT WELL,
AND WE'RE STICKING TO IT.
-YEP. -ALL RIGHT.
SUPER.
YOU ALL ARE DOING GREAT, AND, OCTAVIA,
WITH THE RECENT WEIGHT LOSS,
WE CAN GO AHEAD AND APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
[ CALITA CLAPPING ]
-OKAY? -THAT'S A GOOD THING.
ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GONNA SET YOU UP FOR TWO MONTHS FROM NOW,
AND I WANT YOU TO KEEP LOSING UNTIL THEN.
OKAY.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, THEN WE'LL MOVE AHEAD
WITH YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.
BUT IF YOU GAIN, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO YOUR SURGERY, OKAY?
I KNOW. I KNOW HOW IT GOES.
AND I ALSO EXPECT TO SEE YOU WALK IN HERE SOON, OKAY?
OKAY.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD JOB.
GOOD JOB TO YOU, TOO, NICHELLE, AND GOOD JOB, ALL OF YOU.
YOU HAVE ALL DONE GREAT.
SO, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. NOW.
-OKAY. -I APPRECIATE IT.
I'M GLAD YOU MADE IT.
GOOD. THANK YOU.
OKAY? NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN TWO MONTHS.
-ALL RIGHTY. -THANK YOU.
[ LAUGHS ]
I'M EXCITED.
FINALLY I'M NOT CRYING.
♪♪
Dr. Nowzaradan: OVER THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS,
OCTAVIA HAS STAYED ON TRACK
LIKE SHE NEEDS AND LOST ANOTHER 58 POUNDS.
SO SHE'S DOWN TO 527 AND DOING WELL.
SO WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TODAY
AND ATTEMPTING TO DO A GASTRIC SLEEVE ON HER.
BUT EVEN WITH ALL HER PROGRESS,
OCTAVIA'S WEIGHT IS STILL VERY HIGH.
SO DOING ANY OPERATION ON HER IS VERY RISKY.
SO WE ARE GOING TO MONITOR HER VERY CLOSELY
TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T LET HER GET TO THAT POINT,
AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT CAUSES US CONCERN,
WE'LL STOP THE SURGERY.
BUT IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, THIS GASTRIC SLEEVE
IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT WILL HELP
OCTAVIA MAKE MORE PROGRESS OVER THE LONG-TERM.
BECAUSE WHAT THE OPERATION DOES IS REMOVE 80%
TO 90% OF THE STOMACH,
LEAVING A LONG, SKINNY TUBE THAT LOOKS LIKE A SLEEVE.
SO THE PERSON'S FOOD INTAKE IS PHYSICALLY LIMITED,
AND THE PATIENT IS LESS HUNGRY, AND IT WILL GIVE THEM
AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN LOSING WEIGHT.
ALL RIGHT.
WE'RE DONE.
OCTAVIA'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL,
AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY.
BUT SHE HAD A VERY LARGE STOMACH,
AND WE GREATLY REDUCED THE SIZE OF THAT TODAY.
ACTUALLY GOT VERY SKINNY STOMACH LEFT,
AND SHE'S GONNA BE ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT.
OCTAVIA'S GONNA BE GOING TO RECOVERY NOW,
AND SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO HOME IN A FEW DAYS.
THEN SHE'LL BE ON LIQUID DIET FOR A MONTH.
IN THIS TIME, SHE SHOULD LOSE ANOTHER 40 POUNDS,
AND THEN AFTER THAT, SHE SHOULD LOSE AT LEAST 25 POUNDS A MONTH
UNTIL SHE GETS CLOSE TO HER TARGET WEIGHT.
AND AS SHE LOSES WEIGHT, SHE SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM
STARTING TO WALK SHORT DISTANCES.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR OCTAVIA'S LONG-TERM SUCCESS
WILL BE TO GET HER LIVING ON HER OWN.
CALITA WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP THEM FOREVER.
SO, BEFORE OCTAVIA'S HOME SITUATION GOES BACK TO BEING
JUST HER AND NICHELLE AGAIN,
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT DYNAMIC IS SHIFTED,
AND IF WE DON'T, IT WILL LIKELY JUST SET OCTAVIA UP
TO FALL BACK TO HER OLD HABITS AND START GAINING AGAIN.
SO WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
BUT SHE'S COME A LONG WAY, AND SHE'S DOING GREAT RIGHT NOW.
♪♪
Octavia: IT'S BEEN A COUPLE MONTHS SINCE MY SURGERY,
AND I'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS.
AND WITH ALL MY WEIGHT LOSS,
IT'S BEEN EASIER AND EASIER TO GET UP.
AND UP TO THIS POINT, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE MY WALKER
TO STAND AND GET IN A WHEELCHAIR.
BUT TODAY I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A PLACE
WHERE I'M READY TO TRY AND WALK AGAIN.
CHELLE?
CAN Y'ALL BRING THE CHAIR RIGHT HERE TO THE DOOR
SO I CAN GET IN THERE?
THANK YOU.
IF I CAN DO THIS,
THEN A WHOLE NEW WORLD WILL START TO OPEN UP FOR ME.
I JUST HOPE I'M READY.
OKAY.
READY?
I'LL TRY. OKAY.
ONE, TWO, THREE.
OH.
COME ON. MOVE THE CHAIR.
♪♪
JUST PUSH AGAINST THE WALL.
PUT IT AGAINST THE WALL.
RIGHT HERE, BABY.
♪♪
I'M ALMOST THERE.
ALMOST THERE. ALMOST THERE. ALMOST THERE.
SIT DOWN. YOU GOT IT. SIT ON DOWN.
YAY.
I MADE IT.
I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!
[ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
TO BE ABLE TO FEEL STRONG AND TO GET UP AND DO THAT,
IT DEFINITELY MOTIVATES ME TO KEEP GOING,
AND I'M GONNA KEEP PUSHING MYSELF
'CAUSE I WANT A LIFE FOR MYSELF.
I DON'T WANT TO BE JUST STUCK IN THE HOUSE AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING.
♪♪
Nichelle: I'M SO PROUD OF OCTAVIA.
SHE'S BEEN WORKING OUT ON HER OWN, DOING HER EXERCISES,
AND SHE DID WONDERFUL TAKING STEPS TODAY,
AND SHE'S COME A LONG WAY, SO I'M PROUD OF HER.
[ SNIFFLES ]
I NEED A PAPER TOWEL OR SOMETHING.
I'VE LIVED HERE FOR NINE MONTHS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
I'VE BEEN IN MY LIVING ROOM.
I'M TAKING STEPS TO A BETTER LIFE.
YAY.
SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE, I FINALLY HAVE HOPE.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE HOPE, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.