Living High on a Healthier Lifestyle

Written by Teresa Tatte

Not every day do you hear of a person with special needs undergoing bariatric surgery. This is the story of a young girl named Kaylee Marie Gallegos. Kaylee was born in Boca Raton on August 14^th, 1998, to her mom, Risa Teate, at age forty-six. She was born at twenty-seven weeks gestation, all of two pounds, nine ounces, and fourteen inches long, with Down syndrome and Autism. Kaylee has resided in Coconut Creek for the last twelve years. Her mother was a medical assistant who worked at Boca Raton Hospital. Later, she became a Veterinarian Technician. Today, Ms. Teate is a licensed Elmo character from Sesame Street who does children’s parties and donates her time to schools, camps, and hospitals. She has also been in People magazine and was featured with Bret Michaels from the music group Poison for donating her time at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for children with cancer. She has been involved in the Fun in the Sun Run, which is sponsored by Harley Davidson’s Christmas motorcycle toy run, for the past fourteen years. Today, Kaylee is twenty-five years old. She graduated from Monarch High School and was also a part of their cheerleading team. Kaylee has always loved dancing, karaoke, reading, shopping, and fashion.

Kaylee is a collector of reborn baby dolls, which are unique and very special to her. Kaylee has always had a happy childhood. From an early age, Kaylee’s mom has always told her that she isn’t special; she has special needs and is always treated as such. Like every child, she had chores around the house and was expected to complete her schoolwork before playtime. Kaylee has an older brother named Jayson, who has lived in Heaven since February 2013. She also has an older sister named Deena, who lives in Palm Beach with her three children. Kaylee has always been a people person; she loves everyone. Her mom has always said that the perfect job for her would be a greeter because she is so full of love. Kaylee’s journey began when, one day, Risa went to see her own gynecologist, who happened to be the same doctor who had delivered Kaylee. After seeing Kaylee, the gynecologist noticed and spoke about how much weight she had gained. The doctor said, “Mom, this is terrible! Kaylee has no control, or, should I say, cap off of what she eats. It’s up to mom to do something to help her.” The doctor proceeded to say, “You, Ms. Teate, took the easy way out and had a Gastric Bypass; she can’t!” “Believe me, it was far from the easy way out,” said Ms. Teate. After that visit, Kaylee’s mom started thinking, why not? Why couldn’t Kaylee get the surgery? After this, mom proceeded to find a doctor who would be able to help Kaylee, who was very overweight, borderline diabetic, and suffering from Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which is an inflammatory disease that is usually related to obesity. Kaylee also suffered from depression and total loss of energy to the point where she could not walk up the stairs of where she lived. NO doctor was willing to give Kaylee a consultation. Even though they would have gotten paid just for consulting her, they still turned her away. After being turned down by fifteen doctors, Mom was not about to give up. She was determined to find someone willing to help her daughter. She searched and called doctors’ offices from the Keys to Tallahassee until, one day, she confided in a friend. This friend has a sister who is a nurse and suggested that she try looking into Imperial Point Hospital Broward Health. In doing so, Ms. Teate found a general bariatric surgeon named Dr. Chi Zhang, MD. After researching, she realized he was a wonderful doctor and the perfect surgeon to talk to regarding Kaylee and her health. Risa called and was able to get a consultation with Dr. Zhang. After examining Kaylee, he asked why so many doctors turned her down. Mom said that no one would give her answers, except she felt that maybe they thought it would have been cruel to subject Kaylee to such surgery that she may not understand, especially because she wasn’t employed and she attended a day program. Also, Kaylee would not understand her body, diet, and lifestyle changes. Dr. Zhang explained that it would be cruel to leave Kaylee in the state that she was. After seeing two psychiatrists, three dieticians, a cardiologist, and her primary doctor, Kaylee was cleared for surgery. On March 7th, 2023, Kaylee’s life took a turn for the better. She had gastric sleeve surgery at Imperial Point. Within two weeks after having her surgery, Kaylee was in the LA Fitness gym working out two to three times per week, followed by her clinical dietician Emilio Pena, who is part of Imperial Point Hospital and Dr. Zhang’s Physician group.

Within two weeks after having her surgery, Kaylee was in the LA Fitness gym working out two to three times per week, followed by her clinical dietician Emilio Pena, who is part of Imperial Point Hospital and Dr. Zhang’s Physician group. Kaylee started losing weight and immediately began getting energy back into her life. Recovering wasn’t difficult; all you need is the will, the drive, and a great support team behind you, all of which she had. A few weeks later, Risa was contacted by the Broward Health Production Team, who asked if Kaylee would be interested in being part of their national TV commercials and billboards, along with having her documentary on YouTube and other publications. Now, since being the face of Broward Health and holding a full page in the Sun Sentinel news for Broward Health, she has been getting calls from other sources, asking for information on Kaylee’s journey and new lifestyle. We have been flown out to Dallas Texas, Tulsa Oklahoma, and Arkansas for a photo shoot for an urban clothing line. Things have been wonderful. Kaylee has her health back and more energy than ever. She told Dr. Zhang that she had beat all odds, and he said she certainly had. Everyone should know never to underestimate someone with a disability who has the heart and the determination to do what they want.