Tammy Slaton is grateful for her health amid her weight-loss journey.
The “1000-Lb. Sisters” star — who underwent bariatric surgery near the end of last summer — told People on Wednesday that she’s “feeling great” and is “thankful to be alive,” adding that it’s “fun to be progressing” so much.
After a near-death experience in early 2022 — which required Slaton to be put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma after she stopped breathing — she said she “wised up” and went through with the operation.
“I was able to make my lungs strong enough to get my trach [tracheostomy tube for breathing] out,” the TLC personality, 36, told the magazine. “And then recently the doctor cleared me to be off my oxygen machine during the daytime.”
“Now I only wear my oxygen at night, along with my BiPap [bilevel positive airway pressure] machine,” she added. “I monitor my oxygen levels throughout the day and keep my machine on hand in case I need it.”
As cameras rolled for Season 4 of the reality show, viewers watched Slaton drop from 717 pounds to 535 pounds, qualifying her for the weight-loss surgery.
By March, she’d shed nearly 300 pounds post-op and was seen walking without a wheelchair, walker or cane while running errands.
Then last month, she proudly posted “beautiful photos” of herself sans-oxygen support and filters.
Fans rushed to her comments section to shower her with praise, but the milestone was so momentous, it even caught the attention of her surgeon, Dr. Eric Smith, who gushed, “So proud of you❤️.”
Smith managed to give his patient a new lease on life and love. While Slaton was recovering from the operation, she met her now-husband, Caleb Willingham.
The pair got engaged in October 2022 and tied the knot one month later in an intimate ceremony surrounded by family and friends.
