Originally published on Independent.ie

A Cork woman has shared her story of shedding 6 stone in order to be eligible for a heart and lung transplant.

Sue Buttmer (39), a Thai national living in Mallow for the last 14 years, was morbidly obese at more than 18 stone in 2009 and was told she she was being taken off the transplant list if her weight stayed the same.

Buttimer suffers from Eisenmenger Syndrome, caused by a heart defect, which left her suffering from low oxygen levels and she was forced to use an oxygen machine every three hours as a result.

As a result of her weight, doctors told her she would not be eligible for surgery.

“I was a size 26/28 and hated all my clothes,” Sue explained of her struggle. “I never went out and never had much fun.

‘‘I was at an all time low and was terrified about what my future would hold.”

She credits Motivation Weight Management clinic with helping her shed the pounds after disappointing results from fad diets.

She was unable to exercise as she would become so out of breath due to her lung condition.

She was also ineligible for a gastric band due to her health condition.

“Sue’s case was unusual and we knew it would be an uphill struggle but we found that with one-to-one consultations and the support we received, the weight started to come off,’’ her partner Alan said.

‘‘The first thing we did was change Sue’s eating patterns as suggested by Motivation and she broke meals down to six meals a day and completed a food diary each day.

By 2010, she had shed five and a half stone and was again placed on the transplant list where she successfully underwent corrective surgery on her heart and a partial lung operation.

Alan praised her efforts, saying: “She is absolutely great on her feet now and can do normal things like walk around shopping without getting out of breath. In fact I sometimes get out of breath trying to keep up with her”, he smiled.

“I used to need my oxygen machine every day but now I rarely or never use it,” Sue added of her new lease of life. I am far more confident and can dress up in clothes I could never wear before. My quality of life has greatly improved and I can see a bright future.”

‘‘My quality of life has greatly improved and I can see a bright future,’’ Ms Buttimer said.

Motivation has clinics nationwide and the company has an 86 per cent success rate, having worked with more than 100,000 success stories.