Original subtitles

Kandi: WE KNOW THAT IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO OUR FINAL DAYS,

AND OUR BODIES ARE JUST BREAKING DOWN.

**

Man: NOT FOR ONE MINUTE THAT I THOUGHT MY LIFE

WOULD END UP LIKE THIS.

OW, MY LEGS!

Woman #1: I'M SO FAR GONE.

I ABSOLUTELY NEED HELP.

-MOM! -I'M RIGHT UNDER YOU.

-[ Crying ] I NEED OVER! -YOU'RE FINE. YOU'RE FINE.

PLEASE!

Woman #2: I FEEL LIKE I LET MY KIDS DOWN.

INSTEAD OF ME TAKING CARE OF THEM,

THEY'VE BEEN TAKING CARE OF ME.

IT'S YOU -- YOU ARE THE ONE KILLING HIM.

-WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY SISTER? -COME ON.

-PICK IT UP. -I LOVE YOU, KANDI!

[ WHIMPERS ]

Bobbie: HER HEART STOPPED.

Brandi: THE ONLY THING MORE DIFFICULT THAN FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE

IS FIGHTING FOR THE LIFE OF SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Kandi: MY TWIN AND I HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE LIFE.

EVERY DAY, GETTING OUT OF BED IS SUCH A STRUGGLE.

I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO FACE IT SOMETIMES.

THE FIRST FEW STEPS OF THE DAY IS JUST ALL AGONY.

IT'S JUST SO HARD TO DO ANYTHING,

AND IT'S THE SAME WAY FOR MY SISTER.

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN BOTH OF US JUST WANT TO GIVE UP.

WHEN I WAKE UP,

THERE'S NOTHING TO BE EXCITED ABOUT IN THE DAY.

I JUST... MADE IT ANOTHER NIGHT.

RIGHT NOW, LIFE IS MISERABLE.

IT'S HARD TO GET READY FOR THE DAY ON MY OWN.

I WISH BRANDI COULD HELP ME,

BUT WE BARELY FIT IN TIGHT SPACES TOGETHER...

SO I HAVE TO CLEAN MYSELF.

THE WORST PART TO CLEAN IS MY STOMACH AREA,

BUT IF I DON'T CLEAN UNDER THERE,

I'LL GET BLISTERS.

I HATE IT.

MY STOMACH AND MY SIZE MAKE ME FEEL DISGUSTING.

WE DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER, BUT WE'RE GETTING SO BIG,

WE CAN BARELY TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

WE STILL HAVE TO TRY,

'CAUSE IT'S HARD TO DO ANYTHING ON OUR OWN.

I DON'T REALLY LIKE MY BODY. I HAVE ISSUES WITH MY ARMS.

WHEN I WASH MY HAIR, IT TAKES THE LONGEST

BECAUSE MY ARMS ARE SO HEAVY, I HAVE TO PUT THEM DOWN.

IT'S JUST A BURDEN.

EVERYTHING'S A BURDEN.

MAKES ME HATE MYSELF.

[ FLOORBOARDS CREAKING ]

ONCE WE ARE DONE TAKING SHOWERS FOR THE DAY,

ME AND MY SISTER HAVE TO MAKE SURE

THAT WE HAVE POWDER.

BECAUSE OF ALL OF OUR EXTRA SKIN,

WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EXTRA DRY.

IF WE DON'T PUT POWDER UNDERNEATH OUR SKIN,

THEN THE SKIN RUBS TOGETHER AND IT CHAFES AND...

GETS RED AND HURTS, AND...

BUT WE CAN'T POWDER OURSELVES ON OUR OWN.

EVEN IF WE CAN DO SOMETHING ON OUR OWN,

SOMETIMES, IT'S JUST --

IT'S JUST EASIER TO HELP EACH OTHER.

SECOND NATURE.

YEAH, SECOND NATURE. IT'S JUST NATURAL FOR US.

[ GRUNTS ]

THAT'S GOOD.

I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO RELY ON ANYBODY ELSE...

BUT I HAVE TO.

AND MY SISTER'S THE ONLY ONE THAT I CAN TRUST.

SHE'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME.

AS TWINS, MY SISTER

AND I HAVE LIVED TOGETHER OUR WHOLE LIFE,

AND WE'VE HAD THE SAME STRUGGLES OUR WHOLE LIFE.

WE STARTED GAINING WEIGHT WHEN WE WERE YOUNG,

AS SOON AS WE WERE ABLE TO EAT SOLID FOOD,

BECAUSE OUR BIOLOGICAL DAD USED FOOD AS A BABYSITTER.

WHEN WE COULD CRY, HE WOULD DUMP A WHOLE BOX

OF CEREAL ON THE TABLE

BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH US.

NEITHER OF OUR PARENTS HAD TIME FOR US,

SO MY SISTER AND I HAD A LONELY CHILDHOOD.

MY PARENTS BOTH WERE ADDICTED TO DRUGS.

SO WE ONLY HAD EACH OTHER AND FOOD.

THEIR FATHER WAS A DRUG DEALER,

AND HE DEALT OUT OF THE HOUSE,

SO WE HAD A LOT OF STRANGERS IN AND OUT OF OUR HOME.

WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE TO PROTECT US,

AND WE WERE MOLESTED

BY AN ACQUAINTANCE OF OUR BIOLOGICAL FATHER.

NO MATTER WHAT PROOF I GAVE THEIR FATHER,

HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE IT.

SO OUR HOUSE WAS A LOT OF ANGER,

A LOT OF VIOLENCE,

AND A LOT OF FEAR.

WE THOUGHT THINGS WOULD GET BETTER

BECAUSE MY MOM AND DAD BROKE UP,

BUT THINGS DIDN'T GET ANY BETTER

BECAUSE SHE WASN'T THERE.

I WAS IN REHAB ON THEIR 4th BIRTHDAY.

AT THAT TIME, I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE DRUGS,

BUT THEN I TURNED TO ALCOHOL.

Sherry: I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THEIR MOTHER

WAS AS FAR INTO HER ADDICTION AS SHE WAS.

UNFORTUNATELY, GRANDPA WAS VERY, VERY, VERY SICK,

AND HE COULDN'T TAKE THE TURMOIL OF TWO KIDS IN THE HOUSE.

BUT IF I'D HAVE KNOWN THE SEVERITY OF IT,

THEY'D HAVE BEEN WITH ME IMMEDIATELY.

GROWING UP, THE BEST TIMES IN OUR LIFE

WERE GOING TO SEE OUR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA EVERY SUMMER.

TO BE WITH OUR GRANDPARENTS, IT WAS SAFE.

IT WAS SECURE. IT WAS PERFECT.

BUT AT HOME, OUR MOM WAS A SCARY DRUNK.

SHE WOULD BLACK OUT TO WHERE SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING.

SO IT WAS JUST ME AND MY SISTER, AND FOOD MADE US FEEL GOOD.

AS LONG AS WE HAD FOOD, THINGS WEREN'T THAT BAD.

FOOD WAS A HAPPY PLACE FOR US.

IT WAS...

COMFORTING.

WE WOULD FIND WAYS TO GET FOOD.

WE WOULD GET EXTRA SNACKS BY WORKING IN THE CAFETERIA.

WHATEVER WE COULD GET.

PIZZA POCKETS, CHIPS, CANDY, SODA.

SO, WE JUST STARTED GETTING BIGGER TOGETHER.

AND BY THE TIME WE WERE 12, WE WERE PUSHING 200.

SO, MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS MISERABLE.

WE GOT BULLIED ALL THE TIME.

IT WAS JUST ME AND MY SISTER AGAINST EVERYBODY.

AND WHAT MADE US BOTH FEEL BETTER WAS FOOD.

THE FIRST THING WE WOULD DO WHEN WE GOT HOME

IS WE WOULD GET A SNACK.

WE WOULD MAKE ENOUGH FOR SEVEN PEOPLE,

AND THEN WE WOULD JUST EAT IT ALL.

IT WAS ABOUT 14 WHEN THE GIRLS

FINALLY GAVE UP ON TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT.

I THINK THEY HAD CONVINCED THEMSELVES THAT,

"IF I LOOKED UGLY ENOUGH AND BIG ENOUGH,

THAT NOBODY WOULD HURT ME AGAIN."

OUR EATING DIDN'T SLOW DOWN.

AND BY THE TIME WE STARTED HIGH SCHOOL,

WE WERE 300 POUNDS EACH.

AND THINGS KEPT GETTING WORSE.

OUR JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL,

OUR MOTHER'S DRINKING WAS SO OUT OF CONTROL

THAT WE WERE FIGHTING CONSTANTLY.

SHE WAS OUT AND DRUNK AND NOT THERE FOR US.

THINGS GOT SO BAD.

WE WITNESSED OUR MOM ATTEMPT AND THREATEN SUICIDE

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.

THE WORST MOMENT WAS ONE NIGHT

WHEN MY MOTHER TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

SHE WAS SO DRUNK, AND SHE STARTED SAYING

SHE WAS GONNA BLOW HER BRAINS OUT,

AND SO SHE STARTS GOING IN THE ROOM,

AND KANDI HAS TO PHYSICALLY STOP HER.

[ Voice breaking ] HAVING TO, LIKE,

PHYSICALLY HOLD YOUR MOTHER DOWN

FROM GOING TO GET A GUN

WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT A CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO DO.

BUT WHEN WE CALLED THE POLICE, MY MOM DECIDED TO KICK US OUT.

WE'RE 16. WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?

WE HAD TO RELY ON EACH OTHER AND LIVE ON OUR OWN

AND TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.

SO WE GOT A JOB AT A DEPARTMENT STORE TOGETHER,

SO WE COULD PAY THE BILLS,

BUT ALL THE REST OF OUR MONEY JUST WENT TO FOOD.

WE WOULD JUST CONSTANTLY EAT.

AND WE STARTED HAVING BAD ANXIETY ATTACKS

BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.

AND NOW WE'VE HAD TO STOP WORKING

BECAUSE WE JUST CAN'T PHYSICALLY DO IT ANYMORE,

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO,

BUT WE ALSO CAN'T STOP EATING.

IT'S ALL WE THINK ABOUT, DAY AND NIGHT.

RIGHT NOW, MY LIFE IS WAKING UP

AND GETTING FOOD AND WATCHING TV.

Sherry: THEIR WEIGHT HAS JUST TAKEN AWAY

ANY DREAMS THAT THEY HAD.

I THINK THEIR HEALTH HAS DETERIORATED

AND THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE GOING DOWN UNTIL THEY'RE --

THEY'RE -- THEY'RE JUST GONE -- TILL THEY'RE GONE.

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN FUNCTION IS IF WE HELP EACH OTHER

GET READY AND OUT THE DOOR.

STAY.

WE HARDLY EVER LEAVE THE HOUSE.

I'M SO BIG, IT'S GETTING DIFFICULT TO FIT INTO MY CAR.

UGH. YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO BACK OUT.

[ CLEARS THROAT ]

Kandi: IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT OF BEING, LIKE,

SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE.

I'M WORRIED THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO DRIVE MUCH LONGER

BECAUSE I'M SCARED THAT

I WON'T BE ABLE TO FIT BEHIND THE WHEEL.

Brandi: BUT WE GO OUT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO.

WE GO OUT TO GET FOOD.

BUT BEING OUT IN PUBLIC AT THIS SIZE --

IT'S HARD WHEN PEOPLE START TO STARE.

I JUST CAN'T DEAL WITH IT.

AND THE ANXIETY STARTS TO CREEP IN.

-[ SNIFFLES ] -AND SLOWLY BUT SURELY,

I START TO HAVE A PANIC ATTACK.

I'M TO THE POINT THAT I DON'T EVER WANT TO LEAVE MY HOUSE.

I'M SCARED.

I DON'T WANT TO GO IN THERE.

Kandi: DO YOU WANT TO GO GET SOMETHING TO EAT?

YEAH.

LET'S DO THAT.

Brandi: SOME DAYS, WE CAN'T DO IT BECAUSE,

WHEN MY ANXIETY'S AT ITS LIMIT,

I WANT TO RUN TO FOOD.

SO, WE JUST EAT.

IT'S THIS HORRIBLE CYCLE.

OKAY, CAN I PLEASE GET TWO LARGE NUMBER 2s?

AND THEN, COULD I ALSO GET TWO STRAWBERRY SUNDAES?

HELLO.

I CAN HOLD IT.

GOT IT.

JUST WANT TO PULL OVER AND EAT?

YEAH, THAT'S FINE.

I WONDER IF THERE'S PARKING BEHIND THIS BUILDING.

I DON'T LIKE TO EAT IN FRONT OF PEOPLE.

I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE JUDGING ME.

THIS GOOD?

[ CHUCKLES ]

Kandi: WHEN WE'RE IN PUBLIC, I DO HEAR COMMENTS.

AND WHEN PEOPLE MAKE COMMENTS TO US ABOUT OUR SIZE,

THEY THINK THEY'RE BEING FUNNY.

Brandi: I HATE THAT I'M THIS BIG.

I HATE MYSELF BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST JUDGE MY OUTER SHELL.

FOR THE MOST PART, I'VE HATED MYSELF MY WHOLE LIFE

BECAUSE I'M FAT.

BUT I CAN'T STOP EATING.

MY WEIGHT'S KILLING ME, BUT IT'S AN ADDICTION.

IT'S HARD TO STOP.

THAT WAS GOOD.

FOOD IS A CONSTANT PART OF OUR DAY.

IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT, SOMEONE IS BRINGING IT TO US.

[ DOG BARKING ]

I LIKE TO COME AND CHECK IN ON THE GIRLS EVERY NOW AND THEN.

I KNOW THEIR SITUATION HAS A LOT TO DO WITH

WHAT I ALLOWED TO HAPPEN WHEN THEY WERE KIDS,

BUT IT'S STILL HARD TO SIT THERE, AS THEIR MOM,

AND NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,

EVEN NOW,

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW.

YOU GUYS WANT SOME PANCAKES?

-HASH BROWNS? -YES, PLEASE.

I'VE TRIED TO STAY A PART OF THEIR LIVES,

BUT THEY TOLD ME, IF I STOPPED DRINKING,

THEY'D STOP WITH THE FOOD.

BUT IT SEEMS WHEN I TRY, THEY DON'T.

YOU BEEN TRYING TO WATCH YOUR EATING AT ALL?

I'VE KIND OF BEEN EATING A LOT OF PIZZA.

Brandi: UH-HUH.

OKAY.

AS A MOTHER, YOU BELIEVE THAT,

NO MATTER WHAT, YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR CHILD.

-ALL RIGHT. -LOVE YOU, MOM.

LOVE YOU, TOO.

BUT WE'RE ALL ADDICTS.

I CAN'T BREAK MY CYCLE, AND THEY CAN'T BREAK THEIRS,

AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL KILLING OURSELVES.

EVERY TIME I COME AND VISIT MY DAUGHTERS,

I WONDER, IS IT THE LAST TIME I WILL SEE THEM?

Kandi: I'M ASHAMED OF MYSELF BECAUSE, HOW IS IT

WE COULD GET THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED,

BUT CAN'T GET THROUGH THIS?

STAY.

[ DOG BARKING ]

MY WEIGHT IS KILLING ME SLOWLY,

BUT WHEN I'M HUNGRY, I JUST DON'T CARE.

I JUST WANT TO EAT.

I'M TERRIFIED OF BEING CLOSE TO 600 POUNDS.

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE.

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE FAMILIES

AND WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO AND TRAVEL

AND SEE THE WORLD.

WE HAVE NO HOPE.

WE GO TO BED EVERY NIGHT WORRIED THAT ONE OF US

WON'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.

Kandi: WE KNOW THAT IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO OUR FINAL DAYS,

AND WE NEED TO STOP IT BEFORE WE GET ANY WORSE.

BUT I FEEL HELPLESS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN CHANGE.

AND WE CAN'T LOSE EACH OTHER.

I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT MY SISTER.

AND I KNOW SHE COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT ME.

**

Kandi: WHEN A CHANCE TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK COMES ALONG,

THE ONLY RIGHT CHOICE IS TO TAKE IT

AND FIGHT AS HARD AS YOU CAN.

[ DOG BARKING, KNOCKS ON DOOR ]

GET BACK! STOP!

-HELLO, GRANDMA. -HI. HOW ARE YOU?

-GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? -HEY, GRANDMA.

GOOD. HI.

DOGS, STOP!

HOW ARE YOU GUYS?

GOOD.

Sherry: I MADE A SPECIAL TRIP DOWN HERE TODAY

FROM PENDLETON TO SEE THE GIRLS

AND EXPRESS MY CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR HEALTH,

BECAUSE I'M AFRAID, ONE OF THESE MORNINGS,

THEY'RE JUST NOT GONNA WAKE UP.

-HOW'S YOUR ANXIETY? -MM. NOT GOOD.

NOT GOOD?

THAT'S WHY WE AREN'T BACK AT WORK YET.

YEAH.

Sherry: THE GIRLS KNOW THAT THEY NEED HELP,

BUT THEY'RE TOO AFRAID TO GO SEE DR. NOWZARADAN

BECAUSE THEY KNOW, IN ORDER TO BE IN HIS PROGRAM,

THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE TO HOUSTON,

AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

SO I'M TELLING THEM TODAY THAT,

IF THEY WILL TRY TO DO THE PROGRAM,

THAT I WILL PAY FOR THEIR MOVE.

AS YOU GUYS WELL KNOW,

FROM THE TIME YOU WERE VERY, VERY LITTLE,

YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN IN MY HEART.

YOU'RE LIKE MY OWN.

AND I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT.

PRETTY SOON, YOUR HEART'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.

I CAN'T LOSE YOU GUYS.

IT'S NOT NATURAL FOR GRANDDAUGHTERS

TO GO BEFORE A GRANDMA.

[ CRYING ]

[ SNIFFLES ]

[SIGHS] I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU THROUGH THAT.

-[ SIGHS ] -I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH,

AND I'M REALLY AFRAID

THAT I'M GONNA LOSE MY GRANDDAUGHTERS

IF WE DON'T GET SOMETHING DONE.

I KNOW YOU'RE AFRAID TO GO SEE DR. NOW IN HOUSTON

BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO LIVE THERE.

BUT IT COULD BE A LIFE-CHANGING THING.

AND I'M HERE TO HELP YOU AS MUCH AS I POSSIBLY CAN --

EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND A LITTLE BIT FINANCIALLY.

YOU'RE NOT A BURDEN TO ME.

YOU'VE NEVER BEEN A BURDEN TO ME --

EITHER ONE OF YOU.

DOING THIS -- I LOOK AT IT AS MONEY WELL SPENT.

[ SIGHS ]

I LOVE YOU.

-I LOVE YOU, TOO. -YOU'RE AMAZING.

WE'RE BOTH READY TO CHANGE.

AND I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA LIVE A LONG LIFE --

LONG ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF ME WHEN I GET OLD.

[ LAUGHTER ]

Kandi: MY GRANDMOTHER'S AMAZING,

AND SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR US.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'D DO WITHOUT HER.

IT'S SCARY TO THINK ABOUT LEAVING.

-HEY, GRANDMA, LOVE YOU. -LOVE YOU, TOO.

-LOVE YOU. -I LOVE YOU.

AND IT'S A BIG STEP FOR US.

[ SIGHS ]

-GRANDMA. -GRANDMA.

I KNOW. SHE'S AMAZING.

I'M SCARED RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE OUR HOME,

BUT I KNOW THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO GET HELP

AND TRY TO TAKE OUR LIFE BACK.

BUT IT'S STILL REALLY SCARY.

STAY.

Kandi: WE'VE BEEN PACKING

AND PREPARING TO MOVE TO HOUSTON.

WE'RE NOT TAKING MUCH, 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ROOM IN THE CAR.

BUT MY GRANDMOTHER IS HELPING US PACK,

ALONG WITH SOME FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY.

I THINK THIS IS THE MOST SCARY THING

[Chuckling] WE'VE EVER DONE.

WE'VE NEVER BEEN, YOU KNOW,

MORE THAN A COUPLE HOURS' AWAY FROM HOME

AND AWAY FROM PEOPLE,

SO IT'S GONNA BE TERRIFYING.

WE'RE, LIKE, HOMEBODIES.

AT LEAST OUR GRANDMA'S COMING WITH US,

BUT THEN SHE'S GOING BACK HOME,

AND THEN WE'LL BE ALONE.

WE'VE GOT AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. NOWZARADAN,

BUT IT'S SCARY BECAUSE WE HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT HE'S GOING TO WANT US TO DO.

WE'RE MAKING THIS HUGE STEP

BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS LITTLE GLINT OF HOPE.

WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT APPROVED YET FOR THE SURGERY.

BUT IF WE'RE EVEN GETTING THE CHANCE

TO GO TO THE DOCTOR'S FOR IT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT.

THANK YOU.

THERE'S A LOT AT STAKE.

MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO GET HELP,

THAT WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY AND THIS MOVE FOR NOTHING.

IF THE DOCTOR WON'T HELP US, THAT WOULD KILL ME.

Brandi: WE'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR A FEW DAYS NOW,

AND THIS IS THE FARTHEST EAST WE'VE BEEN.

IT'S VERY STRANGE BEING IN A FOREIGN LAND.

IT'S VERY STRANGE BEING ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HOME.

IT MAKES ME REALIZE THAT THERE'S SO MUCH I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED.

THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD OUT THERE TO DISCOVER.

THIS WEIGHT IS JUST HOLDING ME BACK FROM SO MUCH.

I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE

WHAT NORMAL 20-SOMETHING-YEAR-OLDS CAN DO,

AS FAR AS DATING AND DOING FUN THINGS WITH FRIENDS.

Kandi: I WANT THIS SO BAD, AND I HOPE DR. NOWZARADAN CAN HELP ME.

BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN CHANGE.

I CAN'T SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA DO IT.

BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY.

AFTER THREE DAYS CRAMMED IN THIS TINY CAR,

WE ARE DEFINITELY STARTING TO HURT.

AT THE MOMENT, MY RIGHT ANKLE HURTS,

BUT I CAN TELL, IN A COUPLE HOURS,

EVERYTHING'S GONNA START HURTING.

Sherry: I CAN TELL THAT THE GIRLS ARE VERY STRESSED.

AND I'M CONCERNED,

BECAUSE ANY SORT OF ADDITIONAL STRESS

WILL SEND THEM RIGHT BACK TO RELYING ON FOOD FOR THE COMFORT.

Kandi: I NEED FOUR OF THE SMOKED HAM SLIDERS,

A LARGE ORDER OF MOZZARELLA STICKS,

AND A THREE PIECE OF POTATO CAKES.

MAN: Okay.

Kandi: I KNOW WE SHOULDN'T BE EATING SO MUCH FAST FOOD RIGHT NOW.

IT'S JUST SO STRESSFUL.

WE JUST HAVE TWO MORE DAYS TO GO.

WE JUST NEED TO GET THERE,

AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO FOCUS BETTER

AND START DOING WHAT WE NEED.

Brandi: THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE.

OH, LORDY, IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BIGGER.

Kandi: I'M GLAD WE MADE IT TO HOUSTON.

BUT FINALLY SEEING THE CITY MAKES THIS ALL VERY REAL.

WE FINALLY MADE IT,

AND WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE DR. NOWZARADAN.

AND I'M GETTING REALLY NERVOUS.

I'M NOT SURE I'M READY TO GO IN YET.

THIS IS SCARY --

NOT JUST BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT TO EXPECT OR WHAT THE DOCTOR WILL SAY...

Woman: BRANDI AND KANDI DREIER?

...BUT IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE WE'VE BEEN WEIGHED,

AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW BIG WE ARE.

Brandi: I'M SCARED TO SEE HOW FAR I'VE LET MYSELF GO.

IF I'VE GOTTEN OVER 600 POUNDS,

I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW I'M GONNA COME BACK FROM THAT.

**

Brandi: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WEIGH.

AND I'M SCARED TO SEE HOW FAR I'VE LET MYSELF GO

AND IF THE DOCTOR CAN HELP ME.

I'M ALMOST AT 600 POUNDS.

SEEING THAT NUMBER ON THE SCALE MAKES ME FEEL DISGUSTED.

I'M EMBARRASSED OF HOW MUCH I WEIGH.

Woman: ALL RIGHT. KANDI, YOU'RE NEXT.

Kandi: I DON'T WANT TO GET ON THIS SCALE.

SEEING BRANDI FIND OUT HOW MUCH SHE WEIGHS WAS HARD TO WATCH.

I THOUGHT I'D BE AT THE SAME WEIGHT AS BRANDI,

BUT I'M EVEN HEAVIER.

THAT NUMBER ON THE SCALE IS THE HIGHEST I'VE EVER SEEN.

Brandi: I'M HOPING THE DOCTOR IS WILLING TO HELP US.

I'M NERVOUS.

THE FEAR THAT WE DROVE ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE AND...

FOR DAYS, AND THEN JUST GET TOLD "NO."

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HELLO.

-HELLO. -HOW Y'ALL DOING?

I'M DR. NOWZARADAN.

I'M BRANDI.

NICE TO MEET YOU, BRANDI.

-AND... -KANDI.

...KANDI. NICE TO MEET YOU GUYS.

SO, WHERE YOU ALL COMING FROM?

-VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON. -VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON.

LONG WAY FROM HOUSTON, HUH?

A LITTLE BIT.

ALL RIGHT.

KANDI, YOU ARE 604 POUNDS.

AND, BRANDI, YOU'RE 587 POUNDS.

-YEP. -MM-HMM.

SO, WHAT HAS LED YOU TO THIS WEIGHT?

UM, OVEREATING.

WE'VE HAD SOME TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIVES,

SO WE USE FOOD FOR COMFORT.

SO, YOU ARE COMFORTING YOURSELF WITH FOOD,

AND NOW YOUR WEIGHT IS OUT OF CONTROL.

GIRLS, BETWEEN BOTH OF YOU, YOU'RE OVER HALF A TON.

DO YOU REALIZE HOW BIG THAT IS?

-YEAH. -MM.

HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN THE CASE?

YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN OVERWEIGHT FROM CHILDHOOD?

SO, YOU HAVE A LIFETIME OF RUNNING TO FOOD,

AND YOU BOTH NOW ARE ENABLER

TO YOUR SELF-DESTRUCTIVE HABITS.

THIS IS A DYNAMIC THAT IS GOING TO BE TOUGH TO BREAK.

Dr. Nowzaradan: KANDI AND BRANDI HAVE CREATED THEIR OWN WORLD,

WHERE THEY CAN HIDE AND GO TO FOOD TOGETHER.

BREAKING A DYNAMIC LIKE THIS WITH ANY FAMILY MEMBER IS HARD,

BUT AS TWINS WHO OPERATE THE SAME WAY,

THAT'S GOING TO BE MUCH HARDER TO ADDRESS.

BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,

IF THEY DON'T CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR NOW,

THEY WILL END UP KILLING EACH OTHER.

SO, I'M GONNA START FIGURING OUT

HOW WE'RE GONNA CHANGE THE EATING HABIT.

SO, I'M GOING TO PUT YOU

ON A 1,200-CALORIE-A-DAY DIET.

YOU'RE GOING TO CUT ALL YOUR CARBS OUT OF YOUR DIET,

EAT ONLY THREE TIMES A DAY --

NO SNACKING BETWEEN THE MEAL.

AND YOU NEED TO BE MORE ACTIVE.

YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE 50 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT MONTH.

AND IF YOU DO THAT, I'LL APPROVE YOU FOR SURGERY.

I WANT KANDI AND BRANDI TO LOSE A GOOD AMOUNT OF WEIGHT,

SO I'M GIVING THEM A BIG CHALLENGE

TO GET THEM TO START TO CHANGE.

YOU REALIZE, IF YOU TWO DON'T MAKE A CHANGE NOW,

ONE OF YOU IS GOING TO LOSE THE OTHER.

SO, FROM NOW ON,

YOU HAVE TO MOTIVATE EACH OTHER FOR THE GOOD,

NOT FOR THE BAD.

IT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO SAVE EACH OTHER.

WELL, IF YOU COME BACK NEXT MONTH

AND YOU DON'T LOSE THAT WEIGHT, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE APPROVED.

-YEAH. -RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT? WE GOT TO GET SOME BLOOD WORK DONE,

SO WE CAN RUN SOME TESTS, AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON.

Kandi: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Y'ALL TAKE CARE.

[ GRUNTS ]

I'M SCARED WE WON'T BE ABLE TO LOSE 50 POUNDS IN A MONTH.

BEING TWINS, IT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES,

BECAUSE WE'RE EACH OTHER'S WORST ENABLERS.

BUT WE ARE ALSO EACH OTHER'S SUPPORT SYSTEM.

MIGHT BE A LITTLE DIFFICULT, BUT WE CAN HANDLE THIS.

SILKY.

Brandi: IT FEELS WEIRD TO BE HERE IN HOUSTON.

I'M NOT READY FOR MY GRANDMA TO LEAVE.

-MM-HMM. -MM-HMM.

-OKAY? -MM-HMM.

I LOVE YOU.

GET STRESSED AND SCARED, CALL ME.

Kandi: YEAH.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT TEMPTATION

TO HAVE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE,

JUST ASK YOURSELF ONE QUESTION --

IS THIS BITE WORTH MY LIFE?

-OKAY? -MM-HMM.

Sherry: THEY HAVE EACH OTHER'S SUPPORT HERE,

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY ENABLE EACH OTHER.

I HOPE THAT THEY TURN INTO EACH OTHER'S SUPPORTER

MORE THAN EACH OTHER'S ENABLER.

Brandi: SAYING GOODBYE TO MY GRANDMA IS LIKE,

"OH, MY GOD. THIS IS REAL.

THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY ALONE NOW."

I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M GONNA ADJUST WITHOUT HER.

I'M SCARED THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS ALONE,

AS JUST SISTERS, WITHOUT GRANDMA.

BUT I'M SO READY.

I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE THIS ANYMORE.

-READY TO GO? -YEAH.

LET'S LET THE DOGS OUT.

Brandi: KANDI AND I HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT WE CAN TO GET OUT

AND STAY ACTIVE.

Kandi: IF WE WANT TO LOSE 50 POUNDS EACH THIS MONTH,

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK REALLY HARD.

Brandi: I HOPE THAT, ONCE WE LOSE THE WEIGHT,

OUR ANXIETY WILL GET BETTER

AND WE'LL GET THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE NEED.

BUT FOR NOW, WE ONLY FEEL COMFORTABLE AROUND EACH OTHER.

SO WE WALK OUR DOGS

IN THE PARKING LOT BEHIND THE BUILDING

BECAUSE IT'S SECLUDED,

IT'S NOT WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE US.

YOU READY TO GO BACK?

YEAH, I'M STARTING TO CRAMP.

Kandi: I FEEL BAD THAT I SLOW MY SISTER DOWN,

BECAUSE I WANT HER TO SUCCEED.

Brandi: WE'VE ALSO BEEN DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN

TO FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S DIET.

DOES A SALAD HAVE CALORIES?

SO, 25 CALORIES FOR THIS WHOLE BAG.

IT'S BEEN A LOT TO LEARN,

AND IT'S HARD TO STICK TO IT COMPLETELY.

JUST A LITTLE EXTRA CHEESE THERE, PLEASE.

KIND OF LIKE CHEESE.

I'M KIND OF A CHEESE PERSON.

-YEAH, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE -- -I KNOW THAT.

IT'S REALLY EASY TO GO OVER THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CALORIES

WE'RE SUPPOSED TO EAT IN A DAY.

JUST A SCOOP?

YEAH, NOT TOO BIG AT ALL.

LIKE THAT?

MMM. MAYBE JUST A TAD BIT MORE.

WELL, NO.

BUT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO THIS.

IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A PROCESS.

Kandi: HAVING TO LEARN A WHOLE NEW WAY

OF APPROACHING FOOD IS REALLY HARD.

I USED LIGHT -- LEAN TURKEY.

I LIKE IT.

I'M GLAD THAT I HAVE MY SISTER HERE

TO KEEP ME ON TRACK AND HELP ME MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES.

AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS.

WE SEE THE DOCTOR IN A WEEK,

AND WE'LL FIND OUT IF WE'VE LOST ENOUGH

TO GET APPROVED FOR SURGERY.

THANK YOU FOR DINNER, SIS.

YOU'RE WELCOME, SIS.

Brandi: MY SISTER AND I WORKED REALLY HARD THIS PAST MONTH,

AND TODAY, WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO OUR SECOND DOCTOR'S VISIT.

THE DOCTOR WANTED US TO LOSE 50 POUNDS

IN ONE MONTH IN ORDER TO BE APPROVED,

WHICH SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE.

AND WORKING TO LOSE WEIGHT THIS PAST MONTH

HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS WE'VE BOTH DONE.

KANDI AND BRANDI DREIER?

Kandi: I'M VERY NERVOUS TO SEE THE SCALE TODAY,

'CAUSE WE NEED THIS SURGERY MORE THAN ANYTHING.

I'M EXCITED. I'M PROUD OF HER.

I'M PROUD OF ME.

Dr. Nowzaradan: HELLO.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

ALL RIGHT.

LOOKS LIKE Y'ALL LOST SOME WEIGHT,

AND THIS IS VERY GOOD.

SO, I THINK YOU BOTH ARE READY.

MY ONLY CONCERN IS SOME OF YOUR TEST RESULTS

FROM YOUR LAST VISIT.

SO I WANT TO GET YOU OVER TO THE HOSPITAL TO DO SOME MORE TESTS.

Dr. Nowzaradan: KANDI AND BRANDI,

THEY BOTH DID VERY WELL THIS PAST MONTH.

RIGHT NOW, MY CONCERN IS THAT THEIR HEART

MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SURVIVE THE PROCEDURE,

BUT I WOULDN'T KNOW UNTIL I RAN SOME TESTS.

SO, WE'LL SET YOU UP FOR YOUR TESTS TOMORROW.

IF EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD,

I'M GOING TO APPROVE BOTH OF YOU FOR SURGERY.

ALL RIGHT. I'LL SEE Y'ALL LATER.

Brandi: TO MAKE THE PROGRESS WE DID MAKES ME SO PROUD.

BUT I'M JUST REALLY SCARED THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE

WITH EITHER OF US

THAT COULD PREVENT US FROM SURGERY.

SO, RIGHT NOW, I JUST WANT

TO GET THESE TESTS OVER WITH TOMORROW

AND SEE THE RESULTS.

[ SIGHS ]

Kandi: IT'S BEEN A REALLY STRESSFUL FEW DAYS.

Brandi: WE'VE BEEN LETTING OUR THOUGHTS

GET THE BEST OF US LATELY.

WAITING TO HEAR THE OUTCOME OF THE TESTS

HAS CAUSED ALL MY ANXIETY TO COME BACK.

WHAT IF WE'VE DONE ALL THIS WORK FOR NOTHING?

WOMAN: Order when you're ready.

TWO LARGE NUMBER 2s WITH EVERYTHING ON IT, PLEASE.

SOMETIMES, WHEN I FEEL THIS WAY,

I FEEL LIKE THAT IF I EAT, THEN EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY.

THIS WAS OUR LAST HOPE.

IF WE DON'T GET SURGERY, THEN THIS IS IT --

WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GAINING UNTIL ONE OF US DIES,

AND NEITHER OF US CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE OTHER.

**

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

Brandi: WHEN YOU'RE AFRAID OF WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS,

SOMETIMES, YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW YOU RESPOND TO THAT FEAR

IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO YOUR FUTURE.

Kandi: WE'RE BOTH REALLY NERVOUS.

KANDI AND BRANDI DREIER?

THAT'S NOT A LOT OF WEIGHT LOSS.

I JUST HOPE WE'RE ABOUT TO GET SOME GOOD NEWS.

I'M JUST REALLY SCARED THAT THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE

WITH EITHER OF US THAT COULD PREVENT US FROM GETTING SURGERY.

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR, DOOR OPENS ]

Dr. Nowzaradan: HELLO. HELLO.

HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING?

-GOOD. YOU? -HOW ARE YOU?

[ DOOR CLOSES ]

SO, BRANDI,

YOU LOST 4 POUNDS IN 10 DAYS?

KANDI, YOU ALSO LOST 4 POUNDS.

YOU LOST THREE TIMES THAT IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME LAST MONTH.

WHAT HAPPENED?

WE ADDED CARBS.

YOU KNOW CARBS ARE NO LONGER PART OF YOUR DIET.

WE WERE JUST REALLY STRESSED ABOUT THE TESTS.

OKAY. YOU TWO CANNOT AFFORD

TO START GOING BACKWARD AT THIS POINT.

KANDI, YOUR EKG WAS A LITTLE BIT ABNORMAL.

YOUR HEART IS NOT PUMPING ADEQUATELY

BECAUSE OF YOUR WEIGHT.

IF YOU CONTINUE GAINING WEIGHT OR NOT LOSE WEIGHT,

YOUR HEART FAILURE IS GONNA BE IMMINENT.

YOU NEED TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT

TO GET YOUR HEART HEALTHIER FOR SURGERY.

NOW, BRANDI, YOUR EKG IS NORMAL.

BUT I'M NOT APPROVING YOU FOR SURGERY

BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF PROGRESS THIS LAST WEEK.

BRANDI AND KANDI MADE GOOD PROGRESS IN THE FIRST MONTH,

BUT HOW THEY HANDLED THE STRESS OF THIS CURRENT SITUATION

SHOWS ME THAT THEY'RE INFLUENCING EACH OTHER

NEGATIVELY WHEN THEY'RE UPSET.

THIS, COMBINED WITH KANDI'S HEART ISSUE,

MEANS BOTH OF THEM ARE NOT READY FOR SURGERY RIGHT NOW.

YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON TRACK, BUT YOU DIDN'T,

SO YOU'RE NOT READY.

I WANT BOTH OF YOU TO WORK TO LOSE AT LEAST

ANOTHER 30 POUNDS OVER THE NEXT MONTH.

THINK YOU CAN DO IT?

GONNA DO IT.

OKAY.

THIS ISN'T THE NEWS I WAS EXPECTING.

I'M SCARED.

MY FEAR IS THAT MY HEART WILL GO OUT --

I'LL DIE AND LEAVE MY SISTER.

Brandi: I FEEL LIKE A FAILURE,

SO I'M GONNA PUSH HER EVEN HARDER.

SHE'S GONNA PUSH ME EVEN HARDER.

I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR BRANDI.

MY LIFE'S ON THE LINE HERE.

I GOT TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN.

IF ONE OF US GOES, THE OTHER ONE WILL GO.

THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD LIVE WITHOUT EACH OTHER.

WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. WE HAVE TO DO THIS.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER, SIS?

LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED HELP.

Brandi: OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS,

WE'VE BEEN PUSHING OURSELVES

JUST LIKE WE DID THE FIRST MONTH.

AND KANDI'S EVEN OFFERED TO COOK NOW,

WHICH IS A FIRST.

Kandi: I KNOW I'VE GOT TO PUSH MYSELF HARDER THAN BEFORE

IF I WANT TO GET SURGERY.

EVEN THOUGH IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT,

I'M TRYING TO STAND A LOT MORE AND CONTRIBUTE AROUND THE HOUSE.

OKAY, SIS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SERVING AND A HALF

OF GREEN BEANS EACH.

OKAY? SO -- WHAT -- 30 CALORIES?

WELL, 35.

35.

BEFORE WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY,

WE REALLY WOULDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO PORTION SIZE.

BUT NOW I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO MEASURE OUT OUR FOOD,

TO STAY WITHIN THE CALORIE LIMIT.

COMMITTING TO THE DIET ACTUALLY FEELS GOOD,

AND I'M HOPING IT'S GONNA PAY OFF EVENTUALLY.

IT WAS DEFINITELY A WAKE-UP CALL --

FINDING OUT THAT I HAD A HEART PROBLEM.

BUT I HAVEN'T FELT LIKE GIVING UP YET.

NO.

IT'S NOT BAD, I SWEAR. WHAT?

-ARE YOU LYING? -NO.

MM-HMM.

Brandi: IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL WHO NEEDS MORE MOTIVATION.

I MEAN, SOMETIMES, WE BOTH NEED IT.

SOMETIMES, IF SHE'S MORE IN A FUNK, SHE NEEDS IT.

SOMETIMES, IF I'M MORE IN A FUNK, I NEED IT.

Kandi: HOPEFULLY, THE NEXT TIME WE SEE THE DOCTOR,

THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE WILL SHOW HOW MUCH

WE'RE COMMITTED TO THIS NEW LIFESTYLE...

OHH!

...BECAUSE OUR LIVES DEPEND ON DOING THIS RIGHT NOW.

KANDI AND BRANDI DREIER?

Brandi: OVER THE PAST MONTH,

MY SISTER AND I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THAT THE DOCTOR

HAS ASKED OF US.

I JUST REALLY HOPE THAT WE'VE LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT

TO BE APPROVED FOR SURGERY.

Kandi: I ALMOST MADE IT BELOW 500 POUNDS.

IT'S NOT AS MUCH WEIGHT LOSS AS THE FIRST MONTH,

BUT IT SHOULD HOPEFULLY SHOW THE DOCTOR

THAT WE'RE REALLY SERIOUS.

Brandi: IT FEELS GOOD THAT WE HAVE LOST MORE THAN A POUND A DAY.

I'M HAPPY, BUT I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE APPROVED

FOR SURGERY IF KANDI ISN'T.

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR, DOOR OPENS ]

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW Y'ALL DOING?

-GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? -GOOD.

I AM DOING OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, SO, YOU BOTH LOST EXACTLY 32 POUNDS.

THIS IS GOOD.

YOU'VE SHOWN ME YOU UNDERSTAND

THE IMPORTANCE OF STICKING TO THE DIET.

SO, BRANDI, I THINK YOU'RE READY,

SO I'M GONNA APPROVE YOU FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

BRANDI AND KANDI ARE BACK ON TRACK AGAIN,

AND I AM PROUD OF THEM.

BUT BOTH OF THEM ARE LOSING EXACTLY

THE SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT,

AND THEY ARE IN SYNC.

THEY'RE JUST TOO DEPENDENT ON ONE ANOTHER.

KANDI, I CAN SEE YOU'RE MAKING MORE OF AN EFFORT,

BUT WE NEED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME

AND TO MAKE SURE YOUR HEART IS AS HEALTHY AS IT CAN BE

BEFORE YOU'RE READY FOR SURGERY.

OKAY?

SO, THIS MAY BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR BOTH OF THEM.

THEY CAN START LIVING MORE AS INDIVIDUALS,

AND THEY CAN START MAKING PROGRESS OF THEIR OWN.

BRANDI, WE'RE GONNA GET YOU SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY.

BOTH OF YOU, KEEP MAKING GOOD PROGRESS.

AND, KANDI, YOU CAN GET THERE, TOO,

BUT NOT UNTIL I'M MORE CONFIDENT

THAT YOUR HEART CAN HANDLE THE SURGERY.

ALL RIGHT, WE'LL SEE YOU BOTH SOON.

OKAY.

AS MUCH AS I WANT THE SURGERY NOW,

I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING

TO PUSH MY HEART OVER THE LIMIT.

AND THE PLUS SIDE IS,

I'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF BRANDI WHEN SHE RECOVERS.

SO I'M JUST GONNA KEEP WORKING HARD

TO MAKE SURE I GET THERE.

[ SIGHS ]

Sherry: YOU ALL RIGHT?

I MEAN... I'M SCARED.

EVERYTHING'S OKAY.

GONNA BE VERY GOOD.

Brandi: HAVING MY GRANDMA AND MY SISTER HERE

IS THE ONLY REASON I FEEL STRONG ENOUGH TO DO THIS.

I KNOW MY SISTER'S SCARED, AND I'M SCARED FOR HER, TOO.

RISKING EVERYTHING FOR A BETTER LIFE --

EITHER RISK IT AND LIVE A BETTER LIFE,

OR END UP DYING YOUNG,

SO I HAVE TO GO THROUGH WITH IT.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO TRY

TO DO A GASTRIC BYPASS PROCEDURE ON BRANDI.

GASTRIC BYPASS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY

TO TREAT SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE PATIENTS.

WHEN WE DO A BYPASS, WE REDUCE THE STOMACH

TO THE SIZE OF A SMALL ORANGE.

WE ALSO BYPASS THE UPPER PART OF SMALL INTESTINE,

SO THE PATIENT WILL ABSORB FEWER CALORIES

AND GET FULL VERY QUICKLY.

BUT BRANDI IS STILL VERY OBESE

AND VERY HIGH-RISK,

SO WE CAN'T PUSH HER BODY TOO HARD.

WE DON'T HAVE ROOM IN THE ABDOMEN

TO MOVE INSTRUMENTS TO DO GASTRIC BYPASS, SO...

IN THE CASE OF GASTRIC SLEEVE,

WE REMOVE PART OF THE STOMACH

THROUGH ONE OF THE SMALL INCISIONS

AND LEAVE A SKINNY,

SMALL STOMACH IN PLACE.

OKAY. LET'S CLOSE HER UP.

ALL RIGHT. BRANDI'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

NOW SHE HAS A VERY SMALL STOMACH,

WHICH WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT OF BYPASS IN THE SHORT TERM.

BRANDI.

BRANDI, CAN YOU OPEN YOUR EYES?

THE SURGERY'S ALL OVER. YOU DID GREAT.

SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE 100 POUNDS

IN NEXT FEW MONTHS.

SHE JUST NEEDS TO STAY MOTIVATED,

BE PROACTIVE ABOUT INCREASING HER ACTIVITY,

AND MAKE PROGRESS ON HER OWN,

WHILE KANDI FOCUSES ON HER WEIGHT LOSS.

Kandi: IT'S BEEN A REALLY LONG DAY OF STRESS, FEAR, WORRY,

AND I'M SUPER RELIEVED TODAY'S OVER FINALLY.

AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF MY SISTER.

**

[ SIGHS ]

DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO EAT, SIS?

UM, I CAN TAKE A JELLO.

Brandi: SINCE SURGERY, I HAVEN'T HAD MUCH OF AN APPETITE,

WHICH I KNOW WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE OPERATION.

THANKS.

IT'S WEIRD NOT HAVING THE CRAVINGS.

IT MAKES ME FEEL A LITTLE LOST AT TIMES,

BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT WAS SUCH A BIG PART OF MY LIFE

ISN'T THERE ANYMORE.

I'M SO THANKFUL FOR MY SISTER

AND HOW SHE'S TAKING CARE OF ME.

THE HARDEST PART, THOUGH,

IS FEELING DISCONNECTED FROM HER.

I FEEL LIKE I LEFT HER BEHIND,

AND PART OF ME FEELS LIKE

I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE SURGERY WITHOUT HER.

IT'S JUST HARD NOT HAVING HER DO THIS WITH ME.

ARE YOU MORE NERVOUS OR LESS NERVOUS

THAT YOU'VE SEEN ME GO THROUGH IT FIRST?

PRETTY EXCITED. I WANT TO GET APPROVED.

HOPEFULLY, MY HEART'S BETTER.

WELL, IT'S GETTING BETTER, THE MORE WEIGHT YOU LOSE,

AND THEN I GET TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.

[ CHUCKLES ] YEAH.

[ INHALES SHARPLY ]

I'LL TAKE THAT. [ CHUCKLES ]

I JUST HOPE SHE CAN HAVE THE SURGERY

BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER.

Kandi: BRANDI'S BEEN RECOVERING,

AND SHE'S STILL LOSING MORE WEIGHT THAN ME.

SO I'VE HAD TO START GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE,

SO I CAN HAVE A CHANCE

AT GETTING APPROVED FOR SURGERY, TOO.

I'VE HAD TO DO THINGS WAY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.

LIKE, TODAY, I'M GOING TO WORK OUT BY MYSELF WITHOUT BRANDI.

IT'S NOT FUN DOING IT WITHOUT HER,

BUT I GOT TO DO WHAT I GOT TO DO TO GET APPROVED FOR SURGERY.

-HOW ARE YOU? -GOOD. KANDI.

NICE TO MEET YOU. MY NAME IS LAMIKA.

AND I'M ALEX.

HI. KANDI.

OKAY.

Kandi: I'VE NEVER REALLY WORKED OUT

IN A GYM, SURROUNDED BY LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE,

SO THIS IS ALL PRETTY INTIMIDATING.

TAKE YOUR TIME.

I KNOW I HAVE TO START DOING THINGS

ON MY OWN RIGHT NOW TO LOSE ENOUGH WEIGHT

TO GET MY HEART HEALTHY.

BUT MY WHOLE LIFE, I'VE HAD MY SISTER WITH ME BY MY SIDE.

HAVING HER SUPPORT IN MY LIFE

IS THE ONLY REASON I'M HERE TODAY.

BUT DOING THIS TOGETHER IS NOT AN OPTION RIGHT NOW.

GOOD JOB. PERFECT.

SO WE BOTH HAVE TO LEARN TO START TO EXPERIENCE

SOME THINGS ON OUR OWN --

WE HAVE NO CHOICE,

IF WE BOTH WANT TO MAKE PROGRESS.

SO I'M GOING TO PUSH MYSELF TO DO THIS.

PART OF ME IS SCARED OF THAT,

BUT ANOTHER PART OF ME WANTS TO GET OUT THERE

AND SEE WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF ON MY OWN.

COME ON. COME ON. YOU GOT IT.

AND 10.

GOOD JOB, KANDI! HEY!

I'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD

THESE PAST MONTHS

TO MAKE AS MUCH PROGRESS ON MY OWN AS I CAN.

KANDI DREIER?

SO I'M REALLY ANXIOUS RIGHT NOW

TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS I'VE MADE...

YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND STEP UP.

...AND TO FIND OUT IF MY HEART IS HEALTHY ENOUGH YET.

OKAY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO ROOM 5.

IT'S BEEN REALLY HARD MAKING PROGRESS ON MY OWN,

AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT NUMBER.

AND NOW THE ONLY REAL QUESTION IS IF MY PROGRESS

HAS BEEN ENOUGH TO GET MY HEART STRONG ENOUGH FOR SURGERY.

I JUST HOPE I'M GOING TO FINALLY GET SOME GOOD NEWS.

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

GOOD. ALL RIGHT.

SO, YOU LOST A GOOD AMOUNT OF WEIGHT.

I HAVE ALSO GONE OVER YOUR EKG RESULTS,

AND YOUR HEART IS LOOKING MUCH BETTER.

I THINK YOU'RE READY FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY,

SO I'M APPROVING YOU TODAY.

YAY! [ LAUGHS ]

YOU EXCITED?

YES.

OKAY.

KANDI STUCK WITH IT AND WORKED VERY HARD

TO MAKE PROGRESS, SO I'M REALLY PROUD OF HER.

THIS IS STILL GOING TO BE A HIGH-RISK SURGERY FOR HER.

ONCE A HEART IS COMPROMISED LIKE KANDI'S HAS,

IT'S VERY EASY FOR ONE LITTLE THING

TO PUSH HER OVER THE EDGE,

AND SOMETHING FATAL COULD HAPPEN.

SHE NEEDS SURGERY TO KEEP GOING

AND TO KEEP PROGRESS LONG-TERM,

AND I THINK SHE'S READY RIGHT NOW.

I THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO VERY WELL. I'M PROUD OF YOU.

[ Chuckling ] THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE WELCOME.

I'LL SEE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

BYE.

[ Singsong voice ] I GOT APPROVED FOR SURGERY.

[ Normal voice ] I AM FEELING JUST REALLY EXCITED RIGHT NOW.

I CANNOT WAIT TO TELL BRANDI.

AND NOW THAT I'VE STARTED TO DO THINGS ON MY OWN,

IT'S MADE ME REALIZE SOME OF THE THINGS I WANT TO DO

THAT I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT.

I AM REALLY EXCITED.

**

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS IN DISTANCE ]

Kandi: THE DAY OF SURGERY IS FINALLY HERE FOR ME,

AND I AM REALLY SCARED.

I CAN TELL BRANDI'S NERVOUS FOR ME.

WE CAN BOTH FEEL EACH OTHER'S ANXIETY.

-I LOVE YOU. -I LOVE YOU, TOO.

IT'LL BE GOOD.

-DON'T LEAVE ME. -I WON'T.

Brandi: OUR GRANDMA CAN'T MAKE IT DOWN THIS TIME,

BUT OUR MOM IS HERE.

I'M JUST WORRIED THAT MY MOM

IS GONNA STRESS KANDI OUT BEFORE HER SURGERY.

-HEY, KIDDO. -ALL RIGHT, MAMA.

SEE YOU IN A FEW HOURS.

LOVE YOU.

Kandi: MY WORST FEAR IS THAT SOMETHING COULD GO WRONG,

BUT BRANDI SHOWED ME I COULD DO THIS.

SHE DID IT, SO I CAN, NO MATTER HOW SCARED I AM.

TODAY, KANDI IS HAVING HER WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY.

SHE HAS HAD ISSUES WITH HER HEART.

SO, I'M NOT GOING TO EVEN ATTEMPT

A FULL GASTRIC BYPASS TODAY.

WE CAN TURN THE ROOM LIGHT OFF.

THE GOAL IS TO PERFORM A SLEEVE OPERATION,

LIKE WE DID WITH HER SISTER.

Brandi: LONG WAITING GAME.

I'M JUST TELLING MYSELF THAT SHE'S GONNA BE FINE,

BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.

IT WOULD BE DEVASTATING IF I LOST MY SISTER.

EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD SO FAR.

WE REMOVED A PORTION OF KANDI'S STOMACH NOW.

THAT WOULD REDUCE HER APPETITE

AND MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR HER TO OVEREAT.

SO, ALL WE NEED TO DO NOW IS TO SUTURE HER,

AND SHE'LL BE DONE.

ALL RIGHT, ALL FINISHED.

KANDI'S SURGERY WENT VERY WELL.

Woman: HONEY, OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ME.

WE WERE ABLE TO DO HER SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY.

AND DURING THE SURGERY,

WE HAD NO DIFFICULTY WITH HER CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.

THE NEXT 72 HOURS IS CRUCIAL FOR HER RECOVERY.

THE FIRST PRIORITY IS TO GET HER UP AND WALKING.

BUT FOR NOW, KANDI NEEDS TO JUST REST AND TRY TO RECOVER.

-MORNING, SIS. -MORNING.

HOW YOU FEELING?

YOU GET UP YET TODAY?

Kandi: MNH-MNH.

YOU READY TO TAKE A WALK?

YEAH.

OKAY. WE CAN DO THAT.

Kandi: WHEN I'M MOVING, MY STOMACH,

I FEEL IT, LIKE, STRETCHING,

AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO MOVE TOO FAR

AND PULL SOMETHING OUT AND POP A STITCH.

WATCH YOUR STEP. I WAS GONNA SAY --

Brandi: KANDI HASN'T BEEN GETTING UP TO WALK THESE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS,

AND I'M GETTING REALLY WORRIED ABOUT HER.

SHE'S SAYING SHE DOESN'T FEEL WELL OR LIKE IT.

-I FEEL NAUSEOUS. -YOU FEEL NAUSEOUS.

NOW THAT KANDI'S FINALLY GOT SURGERY, IT'S GONNA HELP ME

BECAUSE SHE'LL BE ON THE SAME PAGE AS I AM.

IT'LL HELP ME WITH MY WEIGHT LOSS,

IT'LL HELP HER WITH HER WEIGHT LOSS,

AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO IT ALL TOGETHER AGAIN.

[ MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY ]

Man: CODE BLUE, ROOM 217.

CODE BLUE IN ROOM 217.

WHAT THE HELL IS A CODE BLUE?

WHAT THE HELL? IS SHE OKAY?

[ CRYING ]

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY SISTER?

[ BOTH CRYING ]

OH, MY GOD.

[ MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

-COME ON. MAKE IT HAPPEN. -I LOVE YOU, KANDI!

[ CRYING ]

[ MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

SHE BETTER NOT LEAVE ME. OH, MY GOD.

Bobbie: SHE'S NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU, BABY.

SHE'S GONNA BE FINE.

SHE'S GONNA BE FINE.

[ CRYING ]

HI.

[ SNIFFLES ]

UH, KANDI TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORSE.

SHE CODED. [ SNIFFLES ]

SHE'S -- SHE'S IN ICU NOW.

[ CRYING ]

OH, THE NURSE SAID THAT SOMEBODY TOLD HIM

THAT HER BLOOD PRESSURE WAS DROPPING,

AND WHEN HE WENT IN THERE, SHE WAS BLUE.

[ SNIFFLES ]

HER HEART STOPPED.

THEY THINK SHE -- SHE MIGHT HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: KANDI, AFTER SHE DID SOME WALKING,

SHE STOPPED BREATHING AND HER HEART STOPPED.

SO, IN ORDER TO PREVENT ORGAN FAILURE

AND BRAIN DAMAGE,

I AM PLACING HER IN A MEDICALLY INDUCED COMA.

WE PUT HER ON A VENTILATION MACHINE

TO BREATHE FOR HER

TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE STRESS ON HER RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.

I BELIEVE WHAT HAS HAPPENED

IS THAT HER LACK OF ACTIVITY FORMED A BLOOD CLOT,

AND WHEN SHE GOT UP AND MOVED AROUND,

IT DISLODGED AND CAUSED A PULMONARY EMBOLISM,

WHICH, IN MOST CASES, CAN BE FATAL.

MY GOAL RIGHT NOW IS TO MAKE SURE KANDI

WILL COME OUT OF THIS WITH NO LONG-TERM EFFECTS.

BUT AT HER SIZE, THIS CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT.

I'VE BROUGHT IN A PULMONARY DOCTOR

TO MONITOR HER AROUND THE CLOCK

AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO OTHER SETBACKS,

BECAUSE HER BODY CANNOT SURVIVE

ANY FURTHER STRESS RIGHT NOW.

[ CRYING ]

ALL HER VITAL SIGNS -- EVERYTHING IS OKAY.

WE GOT HER ASLEEP, OKAY?

AND SHE'S GETTING COOLED OFF,

AND DR. VARON IS TAKING CARE OF HER.

AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP HER ASLEEP TILL WHEN...?

I WOULD SAY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

SO, ONE DAY OF COOLING, THEN ONE DAY OF WARMING.

I WILL WAKE HER UP FOR YOU GUYS ON SUNDAY MORNING,

AND WE'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.

[ SNIFFLES ]

OKAY?

YOU WANT TO TALK TO HER?

[ SNIFFLING ]

[ CRYING ]

I LOVE YOU, SIS. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

[ SNIFFLES ]

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

I JUST WANT HER TO BE UP.

SO I CAN TELL HER I LOVE HER.

YOU HAVE TO FIGHT.

[ CRYING ]

Bobbie: I'M PRAYING TO GOD I DON'T LOSE MY DAUGHTER,

BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT THE OTHER ONE WILL MAKE IT.

YOU WANT TO GO SIT DOWN, SWEETHEART?

NO.

OKAY.

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

Brandi: I DON'T WANT MY SISTER TO DIE.

IF SHE DIED, I KNOW I WOULD DIE.

THERE'S NO POINT IN LIVING WITHOUT HER.

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

**

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

Brandi: I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO HER,

AND I'M JUST SO SCARED.

IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE HER LIKE THIS.

I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW,

BUT MY GRANDMA'S COMING.

WE CALLED HER, AND SHE IMMEDIATELY GOT A FLIGHT.

THANKFULLY, SHE'S GONNA BE HERE SOON.

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

[ SNIFFLES ]

WHAT'S ALL THESE WIRES?

OH! [ SNIFFLES ]

THAT -- WHAT'S THAT?

Bobbie: THAT'S HER BRAIN SCANNER.

THEY'RE SCANNING HER BRAIN FUNCTION.

BUT THEY SAID IT'S LOOKING GOOD.

HOW ARE YOU DOING, HONEY?

YOU KNOW.

YEAH.

YOU HANGING IN THERE?

TRYING TO.

TRYING TO?

YEAH. SHE'S A MESS.

I KNOW. I THINK THEY'RE BOTH A MESS.

[ SNIFFLES ]

Sherry: IT'S PRETTY DEVASTATING.

I EXPECTED TO SEE HER WIRED UP,

BUT NOT LIKE SHE IS.

SHE'S TOTALLY LIFELESS RIGHT NOW,

AND IT'S JUST REALLY UPSETTING.

MY WORST FEAR IS THAT SHE WON'T MAKE IT.

IF WE WERE TO LOSE ONE OF THE TWINS, IN ESSENCE,

I THINK WE'D END UP LOSING BOTH.

BRANDI -- SHE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME.

IS THAT BREATHING FOR HER? SHE'S NOT BREATHING ON HER OWN?

SHE'S TRYING TO.

THEY BASICALLY TOTALLY PARALYZED HER.

THEY'RE GONNA WARM HER UP 1/10 OF A DEGREE

EACH HOUR FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MY CONCERNS THAT KANDI HAS SUFFERED

FROM A PULMONARY EMBOLISM WAS CORRECT.

SHE STOPPED BREATHING.

SO, WE GOT HER STABLE AND PUT HER IN A MEDICALLY INDUCED COMA

SO HER BODY CAN RECOVER WITHOUT ANY ADDED STRESS.

WE'LL WORK TO MAKE SURE

THAT SHE WILL RECOVER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Brandi: I NEED MY SISTER TO PULL THROUGH THIS.

SHE PROMISED SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE ME.

WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ALWAYS BE TOGETHER.

I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT HER.

[ MONITOR BEEPING ]

KANDI'S BEEN ON A VENTILATOR

AND IN A COMA FOR A WEEK NOW.

AND TODAY, THE DOCTOR SAID THEY'RE GOING TO TRY

AND WAKE HER UP AND SEE HOW SHE'S DOING.

I'M EXCITED, BUT I'M NERVOUS.

I HAVE NO IDEA IF ANYTHING'S GONNA BE WRONG.

THEY SAID SHE COULD HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE.

I JUST WANT HER TO BE ALL RIGHT AND BACK WITH ME.

Dr. Nowzaradan: TODAY, WE'RE GONNA BRING KANDI

OUT OF HER COMA AND SEE HOW SHE'S DOING

AND WORK TO GET HER FULLY RECOVERED.

ONCE SHE'S FULLY AWAKE, WE'LL SEE HOW SHE'S DOING

AND SEE WHAT TESTS WE NEED TO RUN TO DETERMINE

IF THERE ARE ANY LONG-TERM EFFECTS FROM THIS.

-THERE YOU GO. ALL DONE? -ALL DONE.

THERE YOU GO. THERE WE GO.

THE OXYGEN IS READY.

-[ COUGHING ] -THERE YOU GO.

THERE WE GO.

[ COUGHING ]

ALL RIGHT. TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

SUPER.

YOU FEELING OKAY NOW?

CAN YOU MOVE YOUR FEET?

ALL RIGHT.

KEEP WORKING ON THEM, OKAY?

Dr. Nowzaradan: EVERYTHING IS LOOKING GOOD SO FAR.

KANDI IS AWAKE AND AWARE,

AND SHE CAN MOVE HER BODY, WHICH IS ENCOURAGING.

SHE SEEMS TO HAVE RECOVERED WELL.

WE WILL RUN SOME TESTS TO MAKE SURE,

BUT I'M VERY ENCOURAGED RIGHT NOW.

BUT HER BODY HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT,

AND IT IS NOT LIKELY TO BE ABLE

TO TAKE ANOTHER INCIDENT LIKE THIS.

Brandi: I JUST THANK GOD THAT KANDI DIDN'T DIE

AND THERE'S NO BRAIN DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER ISSUES.

I JUST WANT HER TO RECOVER,

SO WE CAN START OUR WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY TOGETHER

AND GET A BETTER LIFE FOR EACH OF US.

YOU FEEL BETTER...

WITH THAT OUT?

I'M FEELING RELIEVED.

I WAS TERRIFIED THAT I LOST HER.

WHEN KANDI WAS IN A COMA, EVERYONE WAS SAYING

SHE DOESN'T HEAR ME -- SHE DOESN'T FEEL ME.

BUT ME AND KANDI -- WE JUST HAVE THIS BOND.

I CAN FEEL IT.

DO YOU REMEMBER US WALKING?

AFTER THAT, YOU WENT AND LAID DOWN

AND YOU GOT SOME PAIN MEDICINE, AND YOU FELL ASLEEP.

YOUR HEART STOPPED.

[ Crying ] THEY HAD TO RUSH YOU TO THE ICU.

I WASN'T GONNA LEAVE YOU.

[ SIGHS ]

YOU SCARED THE LIVING [BLEEP] OUT OF ME.

Kandi: AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I WAS DREAMING,

AND THEN I REMEMBER I COULDN'T OPEN MY EYES.

AND I REMEMBER SITTING HERE, PRAYING TO GOD,

"DON'T LET ME DIE."

BELIEVE ME -- I KNOW YOUR PAIN.

DON'T YOU DO THIS [BLEEP] AGAIN.

MM-HMM.

[ KNOCKS ON DOOR ]

-HELLO. -HELLO.

HOW YOU DOING?

GOOD. YOU?

YOU FEELING OKAY?

MM-HMM.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

YOU READY TO GO HOME?

YEAH.

LET'S JUST CHECK A COUPLE THINGS,

MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S OKAY.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

OKAY.

LET ME SEE HOW YOUR INCISIONS ARE LOOKING.

OH.

ALL RIGHT. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD.

SO, WE CAN GET YOU GOING HOME AND BE UP

AND ACTIVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Dr. Nowzaradan: KANDI HAS BEEN DOING WELL THIS PAST WEEK.

ALL HER TESTS ARE LOOKING GOOD RIGHT NOW,

AND SHE'S BEEN STAYING ACTIVE.

SO I THINK SHE HAS RECOVERED ENOUGH TO GO HOME

AND CONTINUE WORKING ON HER PROGRESS THERE.

-461, HUH? -COOL.

ALL RIGHT, SUPER.

SWEET.

NOW, BRANDI, WHILE YOU'RE HERE...

YEAH.

OKAY. IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, YOU CALL ME.

OKAY.

IF NOT, I'LL SEE YOU SOON.

OKAY.

-THANK YOU. -SHE'S DOING VERY GOOD.

Bobbie: GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

BOTH GIRLS ARE MAKING PROGRESS.

I'M HOPING THEY BOTH

WILL BE ABLE TO LOSE 30 POUNDS EACH MONTH.

Kandi: I'M GLAD TO BE GOING HOME, BUT I'M SCARED THAT,

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME AGAIN, I WON'T MAKE IT,

BECAUSE I WON'T BE AT THE HOSPITAL

TO GET THE HELP I NEED.

SO, PART OF ME DOESN'T WANT TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW.

Brandi: ONCE GRANDMA KNEW KANDI WAS STABLE,

SHE HAD TO GO BACK HOME.

SO IT'S JUST US AND OUR MOM.

BEING AROUND MY MOM LIKE THIS HAS STARTED TO BRING UP

A LOT OF THINGS THAT I THOUGHT I WAS DONE DEALING WITH,

BUT I GUESS I HAVEN'T, SO IT'S REALLY HARD RIGHT NOW.

-ARE YOU GOOD? -YEP.

-ALL RIGHT. -AND I WISH OUR GRANDMOTHER

WAS HERE TO GO HOME WITH US.

**

Brandi: DO YOU NEED ANYTHING? NO?

Kandi: IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE I'VE HAD SURGERY

AND A COUPLE MONTHS SINCE BRANDI HAD HERS.

YOU FEELING FUNNY?

NO. I'M JUST WAITING FOR THE PAIN TO COME.

[ LAUGHS ]

MY MOM HAD TO GO BACK HOME, SO IT'S JUST ME AND BRANDI.

AND SHE'S BEEN TAKING CARE OF ME.

OKAY?

BUT I HATE HAVING TO RELY ON HER RIGHT NOW.

SHE HAS TO DO EVERYTHING FOR US RIGHT NOW.

BUT I KNOW NOW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR HER TO DO THIS,

SO IT'S NICE TO KNOW SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH.

I DON'T WANT TO GO ANY FURTHER.

IT'S STARTING TO GET PAINFUL. I THINK I'M DONE, TOO.

OKAY, THEN. I'LL BE BACK.

Brandi: IT'S BEEN A HARD MONTH.

I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE KANDI ALONE

FOR EVEN A SECOND BECAUSE I'M SCARED

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HER AGAIN

THAT I WON'T BE THERE TO HELP HER.

I KNOW IT'S FRUSTRATING HER A LITTLE BIT,

SO I'M TRYING TO GIVE HER SOME SPACE.

SO IT'S BEEN A LITTLE TENSE AT HOME,

BUT IT WAS NICE WHEN OUR MOM LEFT.

WE LOVE HER, BUT HAVING HER AROUND A LOT RIGHT NOW

BROUGHT BACK A LOT OF EMOTION

FROM OUR CHILDHOOD,

STUFF WE THOUGHT WE HAD GOTTEN PAST.

SO I THINK, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST DEALING WITH THAT

AND TRYING TO PROCESS WHAT IT MEANS.

WE USED TO RUN TO FOOD TO DEAL WITH IT,

AND NOW WE CAN'T, AND THAT'S REALLY SCARY.

SO, EVERYTHING THAT WAS BELOW THE SURFACE IS NOW COMING UP,

AND IT'S A LOT TO DEAL WITH.

KANDI AND I HAVE STARTED TO GET UP THE COURAGE

TO DO MORE IN PUBLIC.

WE'VE BEEN LOSING WEIGHT,

BUT WE KNOW WE NEED TO BE MORE ACTIVE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO A GYM TODAY TO TRY A CrossFit CLASS.

Brandi: I'M REALLY NERVOUS WE'RE GONNA BE

THE BIGGEST PEOPLE IN THE CLASS

AND PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO DO WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

I'D RATHER IT JUST BE WITH A TRAINER.

-HOW'S IT GOING? -FINE. HOW ARE YOU?

-GOOD. I'M PHIL. -HI. KANDI.

-KANDI, NICE TO MEET YOU. -NICE TO MEET YOU.

-HI. I'M BRANDI. -BRANDI.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET'S DO THIS.

EVERYBODY, OVER HERE FOR ME.

WE'VE GOT KANDI AND BRANDI HERE.

THEY'RE DOING THEIR FIRST CrossFit CLASS WITH US TODAY,

SO DO SOME INTRODUCTIONS, AND THEN WE'LL GET MOVING.

LET'S GO.

-HI. -KANDI.

THIS IS A LITTLE OUTSIDE OUR COMFORT ZONE,

BUT WE'RE PUSHING OURSELVES A LITTLE MORE

TO FACE OUR FEARS TOGETHER.

GIVE YOURSELF A BIG BEAR HUG.

GO SIDE TO SIDE.

THAT HURTS. [ LAUGHS ]

[ LAUGHS ] WE'RE WEAK.

[ LAUGHS ]

ALL RIGHT. IF YOU'RE ON THE FOAM ROLLERS, SWITCH SIDES.

KANDI HERE, AND BRANDI OVER HERE.

AND PRESS THAT HIP OPEN EVEN MORE.

LEAN, REACH FORWARD, AND THEN PULL IN.

SO, LET'S TEST THAT OUT.

LET'S LEAN BACK AND PULL YOURSELF UP.

Brandi: WITH ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH,

WE KNOW WE'RE GETTING STRONGER TOGETHER.

Phil: THERE YOU GO!

AND ONE THING WE DON'T WANT TO DO ANYMORE

IS LIVE IN ALL THE FEAR WE HAVE.

I THINK THAT'S MORE EXERCISE THAN WE'VE DONE OUR WHOLE LIFE.

THAT WAS GOOD.

THERE WAS REALLY NO REASON TO BE SO AFRAID OF DOING THIS.

WE'RE LEARNING THAT WE CAN PUSH OURSELVES

TO FACE A LOT OF OUR FEARS.

WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DO,

BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR LIKE WE HAVE,

BECAUSE IT'S BEEN HOLDING US BACK

SO MUCH MORE THAN WE REALIZED.

IT'S BEEN A FEW MONTHS SINCE OUR SURGERY,

AND MY MOM HAS COME BACK TO VISIT US.

THE LAST TIME SHE WAS HERE, IT WAS REALLY HARD

BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS FROM OUR CHILDHOOD

STARTED COMING BACK UP.

SO WE ASKED DR. NOW TO REFER US TO A THERAPIST,

AND WE'RE TAKING OUR MOM WITH US.

BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW WE WANT HER TO COME IN AND TALK YET.

SO I JUST HOPE SHE RESPONDS WELL WHEN WE ASK HER TO.

WE'RE JUST REALLY NERVOUS,

'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT

OR HOW SHE'S GOING TO REACT.

Woman: HI, GUYS. YOU WANT TO COME ON BACK?

Frey: I'M HOPING THE THERAPIST HELPS US

TO START THE CONVERSATION WITH OUR MOTHER.

PART OF ME FEELS LIKE WE SHOULD BE DOING THIS ON OUR OWN FIRST,

BUT I DON'T THINK MY MOM WOULD STAY FOR A FULL CONVERSATION.

THANKS FOR MEETING WITH ME TODAY.

WHERE ARE YOU BOTH AT?

-I RECENTLY HAD SURGERY. -MM-HMM.

AND, UM...

I HAD ISSUES, WHERE MY HEART ACTUALLY STOPPED.

SO THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY TRAUMATIC.

-MM-HMM. -I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE,

TALKING WITH ME NOW ABOUT IT.

THANK YOU.

AND HOW'S THIS IMPACTED YOU, BRANDI?

IT SCARED THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF ME.

YEAH.

WHAT EMOTIONS HAVE BEEN COMING UP FOR YOU LATELY?

ANXIETY, STRESS.

MM-HMM.

MM-HMM. FEAR.

SO, YOU MENTIONED ANXIETY.

SO, IT'S SOMETHING THAT RESONATES WITH BOTH OF YOU.

IT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE KIND OF HAD TO DEAL WITH

MOST OF YOUR LIFE?

WE'VE HAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN WE WERE KIDS

THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED, AND...

SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE VERY CLOSE,

THAT YOU FOUND SAFETY WITH EACH OTHER.

WHAT ABOUT MOM?

SHE'S AN ALCOHOLIC.

SO MOM REALLY WASN'T ABLE TO PROTECT YOU

OR BE WHAT YOU NEEDED BECAUSE OF HER OWN ISSUES?

MM-HMM.

SO, HOW DO YOU THINK MOM'S CHOICES AROUND

HER DRINKING IMPACT YOU NOW, AS ADULTS?

TRUST, FOR SURE.

IT'S THE ONE PERSON THAT YOU SHOULD

BE ABLE TO TRUST WITH EVERYTHING.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH HER

ABOUT JUST HOW THAT IMPACTED YOU?

WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO HER TODAY,

IF WE CAN BRING HER IN, BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW.

I JUST DON'T WANT TO MAKE HER MAD.

THAT, TOO.

OKAY.

SO, IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY FEAR ABOUT BACKLASH,

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO MOM?

THAT SHE TRAUMATIZED US...

AND THAT SHE AFFECTED OUR LIFE A LOT MORE THAN SHE THINKS.

OKAY. MAYBE WE SHOULD INVITE MOM IN?

ALL RIGHT. OKAY.

[ SIGHS ]

I'M REALLY SCARED.

I REALLY HOPE THIS GOES WELL AND IT DOESN'T CAUSE HER

TO GET UPSET AT US OR START TO SCREAM.

IF SHE DOES, I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA HANDLE IT.

**

SO, MAYBE WE SHOULD INVITE MOM IN NOW?

ALL RIGHT. OKAY.

[ SIGHS ]

Brandi: USUALLY, WHEN WE TALK, SHE'D FREAK OUT,

AND WE'D ALL START YELLING AND SCREAMING,

AND SHE'D LEAVE OR WE'D LEAVE.

HAVE A SEAT ON THE CHAIR HERE.

I JUST WANT TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER,

SO, HOPEFULLY, IT WILL CHANGE.

WE WERE TALKING, MOM, ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES

THAT THE GIRLS HAD HAD JUST THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE

AND HOW THAT HAS SHAPED THEM.

HAVING THOSE EXPERIENCES VALIDATED

HELPS US MOVE THROUGH THE HURT,

AND IT MENDS RELATIONSHIPS.

WHY DON'T WE DO THAT A LITTLE BIT?

CAN WE SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS

WE WANT MOM TO UNDERSTAND?

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO US JUST REALLY HURT US.

[ SNIFFLES ]

I JUST DON'T GET, IF YOU LOVED US SO MUCH,

WHY YOU DID THE STUFF THAT YOU DID.

YOU EVEN SAID, IF YOU LOVE US, YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE US.

YOU LEFT US.

I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE BETTER IF I LEFT.

TOLD BY WHO?

WELL, THE POLICE, FOR NUMBER ONE.

YEAH, BUT WHY WERE THEY CALLED? IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF US.

THAT TIME WAS BECAUSE OF ONE OF YOU THREATENED SUICIDE,

AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE OF YOU.

THAT WAS ME, AND I ONLY DID IT 'CAUSE YOU KEPT DOING IT.

JUST TO MAKE YOU FEEL HOW WE FELT.

AND THEN, IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE,

THAT DAY, IS WHEN YOU ACTUALLY TRIED.

I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT DAY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

I'M REALLY UPSET THAT YOU DON'T REMEMBER A LOT OF IT,

AND IT FEELS LIKE, SOMETIMES, WHEN WE --

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT,

LIKE, YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT THAT IT HAPPENED.

[ SNIFFLES ]

I HAVE NEVER SAID I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S HAPPENED.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT I CAN DO TODAY

TO MAKE THAT FEELING GO AWAY.

SO, MOM, IT MAY BE HELPFUL TO LET THEM KNOW

THAT YOU UNDERSTAND.

I DO UNDERSTAND THAT IT HURT YOU BOTH REALLY BAD.

I DO REGRET THAT.

I KNOW IT'S HARD TO GO BACK TO THESE PLACES, BUT...

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY

IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD.

I LOVE THEM BOTH. I'M VERY PROUD OF THEM BOTH.

MM-HMM.

AND I DEFINITELY WANT OUR RELATIONSHIP

TO CONTINUE GROWING.

MY ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD BE THAT THE THREE OF YOU

CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM THAT WE'VE STARTED HERE.

WHEN THINGS COME UP, AS THEY COME UP,

SHARE YOUR FEELINGS,

SO THAT THINGS DON'T GET STUFFED,

BECAUSE IF YOU STUFF IT, IT COMES OUT,

AND IT COMES OUT, USUALLY, IN UNHEALTHY WAYS.

IT WAS GOOD SEEING YOU. THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING...

Kandi: I THINK, OVERALL, TODAY WAS GOOD.

I WAS SAD TO HEAR SOME OF HOW MY MOM VIEWED

WHAT SHE DID WHEN WE WERE KIDS.

BUT AT LEAST SHE WAS WILLING TO TALK,

AND I THINK THAT'S A REAL POSITIVE.

OUR MOM WASN'T THERE FOR US GROWING UP, AND THAT HURTS,

AND THAT'S NOT GOING AWAY EASY.

BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME,

I CAN SEE HOW WE CAN GET PAST THIS, AND THAT'S HUGE.

IT'S JUST ABOUT A YEAR SINCE WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY.

IT'S BEEN NOTHING LIKE I IMAGINED IT --

SO MUCH HARDER IN SOME WAYS AND SO MUCH BETTER IN OTHERS.

Brandi: I THINK I MADE THE PROGRESS THAT DR. NOW EXPECTS.

I'M JUST NERVOUS TO SEE HOW MUCH I'VE LOST.

[ LAUGHS ] OH.

Kandi: I'M JUST SO PROUD OF US, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY.

HELLO. SO, BRANDI,

YOU ARE DOWN TO 360 POUNDS.

HOW DO YOU FEEL WITH THAT?

AMAZING. [ CHUCKLES ]

YOU STICK WITH THE PROGRAM, AND YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD.

HOW YOU DOING, KANDI?

Kandi: GOOD.

YOU'RE DOWN TO 384 POUNDS.

[ CHUCKLES ]

YOU FEELING OKAY?

YEAH. IT'S A LOT EASIER TO MOVE AROUND.

Dr. Nowzaradan: BRANDI AND KANDI BOTH LOST OVER 200 POUNDS,

AND I THINK THEY'LL CONTINUE TO DO WELL.

I THINK THEY'VE BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE INDEPENDENT.

I'M PROUD OF BOTH GIRLS.

BOTH OF YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL.

I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT, IN A YEAR,

YOU ARE GONNA REACH YOUR GOAL OF 200 POUNDS.

ALL RIGHT. I'LL SEE YOU LATER.

-I'M PROUD OF YOU, SIS. -I'M PROUD OF YOU, TOO.

Brandi: IT MEANS EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH IT TOGETHER.

I [SCOFFS] WOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER.

I PROBABLY COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER.

IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG PROCESS,

VERY LONG JOURNEY TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE.

I'M JUST SO HAPPY WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.

I'M EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU.

Kandi: BOTH BRANDI AND I ARE REALLY EXCITED

TO KEEP DOING NEW THINGS TOGETHER AND ON OUR OWN.

WE FIGURE, EACH MONTH,

WE'LL TRY SOMETHING NEW WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.

WE'VE JUST SPENT MOST OF OUR LIVES HIDING,

SO EVERYTHING SEEMS EXCITING TO US.

WE'VE ALSO TRIED TO KEEP TALKING TO OUR MOTHER.

IT'S BEEN GOOD, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME.

BUT I THINK OUR RELATIONSHIP IS STARTING TO IMPROVE,

AND THAT'S NICE.

WE FOUND OUT THAT SHE DIDN'T DRINK AT ALL

WHILE WE WERE IN THE HOSPITAL,

SO I'M REALLY ENCOURAGED.

EVERYTHING IS NOT PERFECT, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME,

WE BOTH CAN SEE HOW THINGS CAN GET BETTER,

BECAUSE THEY ARE.

LIFE RIGHT NOW IS JUST FULL OF POTENTIAL,

AND WE AREN'T GONNA STOP GROWING LIKE WE NEED ANYTIME SOON.

Woman #1: WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I HAD SO MANY DREAMS.

NOW MY LIFE IS A NIGHTMARE.

OW! MY LEGS!

I'VE BEEN BEDBOUND CLOSE TO THREE YEARS NOW.

Woman #2: JUST TO GET FROM MY BED TO MY BATHROOM

IS LITERALLY LIKE HAVING

100-POUND BRICKS SITTING ON MY FEET.

-DON'T DROP ME! -I ABSOLUTELY NEED HELP.

Woman: #1 I CAN'T GO ON ANOTHER DAY LIKE THIS.

WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR, I SEE A MONSTER.

[ Crying ] HOW DO I FIX THIS?

Woman #2: IT'S THE CRUELEST FORM OF ADDICTION.

Woman #3: I'M 603 POUNDS,

AND I'M A SINGLE MOTHER OF FIVE CHILDREN.

I CAN'T STOP EATING.

Woman #2: I BINGE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN.

Woman #1: I LIVE IN THIS CONSTANT SHAME.

Man: I NEVER THOUGHT SOMETHING THAT I LOVE SO MUCH

WOULD MAKE ME THIS MISERABLE.

-YOU BUNCH OF BASTARDS! -OW!

THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.

I DEPEND ON YOU TO PUSH ME. I'M DOING ALL THIS FOR YOU.

DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE LOST ANY WEIGHT. YOU'RE KILLING HIM.

Woman: SOMETHING HAPPENED IN YOUR PAST.

UNTIL YOU GO THROUGH IT, WE CANNOT GET TO THE OTHER SIDE.

OH! [ GROANS ]

Man: I WANT TO LIVE MORE THAN ANYTHING.

YOU STAY THE [BLEEP] AWAY FROM ME!

I'VE GOT TO FIGHT THIS ADDICTION

SO THAT I CAN SURVIVE FOR MY FAMILY.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, YOU'RE GONNA BE VERY SORRY.

-OHH! -THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE.

WHATEVER IT TAKES, I'M GONNA DO IT.