Jennifer Holliday –  gastric Bypass Surgery

The stunning singer, Jennifer Holliday, became a star on Broadway and Hollywood following her performance of ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ in the musical Dreamgirls. But the life and career of Holliday offstage slid out of control as she suffered from a variety of illnesses, including obesity and depression. Holliday weighed 400 pounds before the age of 30. She said that it was her weight that induced her anxiety. After being in a sanatorium for three months, she realized that she needed to drop her weight.

She underwent gastric bypass surgery and became one of the first people to do so. After the operation, she succeeded in losing 124 pounds. She attended Texas Southern University and received an honorary degree in Music in 2000. Now a volunteer spokesperson for the National Mental Health Foundation, she spreads the idea that there is healing after depression’s gloom. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which she fights with regular exercise, meditation, and reading.