Photo:Instagram/doctorericsmith_
Instagram/doctorericsmith_
Tammy Slatonhad a sweet surprise for her bariatric surgeon Dr. Eric Smith on his birthday.
“Something’s missing!” Slaton says proudly, pointing to her face as she walks and gives Smith a hug.
“No oxygen! That’s awesome!” Smith said before the reality star shared that she’s been without it for two weeks.
Smith called the moment the “best birthday surprise.”
Slaton later posed for a photo with Smith alongside her brother Chris.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Last week, Slaton said she was feeling “great” as she continued to make dramatic progress following her weight-loss surgery.
She told PEOPLE exclusively about the milestones she has achieved since having bariatric surgery in 2022 — coming a long way since hernear-death experienceprior to the surgery, when she was put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma after family members said she stopped breathing.
“I wised up and got my surgery," Slaton told PEOPLE. “I was able to make my lungs strong enough to get my trach [tracheostomy tube for breathing] out, 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 machine,” she noted. “I monitor my oxygen levels throughout the day and keep my machine on hand in case I need it.”
Slaton added: “I’m feeling great! I’m thankful to be alive, and it’s fun to be progressing as much as I am.”
Slaton has made huge strides in her health journey since starring on the hit TLC reality show. In the latest season of1000-Lb. Sisters, viewers got an inside look at her transformation whileat a weight loss rehab facilityin Ohio.
In one episode, Slatonachieved her weight loss goal— she needed to drop from 717 lbs. to 550 lbs. in order to qualify for weight loss surgery, and much to her excitement, she made it down to 534 lbs.
“When I got on the scale and I saw the scale was at 534.7, I kinda stopped breathing for a second,” she said during the Feb. 7 episode. “I’m like 14 lbs. under my goal weight. From over 700, that’s a huge drop.”
Slaton added, “I’m feeling thrilled, proud, excited — just all the emotions. I proved everybody wrong. Everybody that doubted me, I finally got mine! My told-you-so moment!”
source: people.com
