Ila Blackman has learned to never say never.

When her brother had bariatric surgery 15 years ago, she said she'd never.

When her sister had bariatric bypass surgery nine years ago, she said she'd never.

Desperation changed her mind.

Blackman weighed 268 pounds two years ago. She had lost weight before with increased exercise.

She'd walk to town from her home in Port Byron. But her mobility was curtailed after a 1995 car accident and a 1999 on-job injury that left her on disability.

She's not afraid to admit that she was wearing size 26 jeans. That she lost control of her bladder.

That her physician told her she could die of a heart attack.

Blackman wanted better health. She wanted to be able to enjoy her husband of 27 years, her daughters, her stepson and her grandchildren.

So in September 2005, she had a bariatric procedure completed by Dr. Chung Oh - the last one Oh performed after decades of performing similar surgeries.

Blackman learned two lessons: “Never say never, and don't judge until you walk a mile in my shoes.”

She advocated her insurance company for several weeks to approve her for surgery.

She put the decision of whether her surgery would go forward in the hands of a spiritual power.

“I put it in God's will,” Blackman said. “If it's your will, let it be approved. If it's not meant to be, don't let it be approved.”

She has lost 104 pounds since 2005.

Her blood pressure stabilized.

She is enjoying the simple pleasures of lingering in stores with her husband.

She still has knee trouble and a pinched nerve in her neck, but she was able to dance the night away during a recent party the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program held to celebrate its first official year.

She grooves several times a week to Elvis Presley while taking walks.

“I can look in the mirror and I like what I see. I can go to my drawer and (get) clothes I haven't worn for 10 to 15 years and put them on. I have no regrets,” Blackman said.

Her brother gained the weight back after his surgery. Her sister stayed slim but had complications.

Blackman keeps an old photograph next to her computer to remind her of what she does not want to return to.

She knows that she could go back to old ways. She scarfed too many Christmas cookies one day last winter and paid the price with nausea and extreme discomfort.

Blackman stays inspired to hear the stories of others at the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program support group.

She stays inspired by an on-line community, obesityhelp.com, full of requests for prayers and kind words. Her “spiritual mom” from the Throop Church of God has been an understanding bedrock.

If she was more mobile and if the program had been in existence, Blackman thinks it might have been better to do the medical weight loss program.

She supports anyone who can lose weight and opt out of the bariatric surgery.

But it wasn't a choice for her with her limited mobility. She still says it was the best decision she ever made.

And for people who judge the bariatric surgery as an easy way out, she argues that it was no fool's choice when she has not yet needed a knee replacement and her cardiac health has dramatically improved.

“People want to be respected for the decisions they've made for a healthy life,” Blackman said.

“I think having the surgery and people seeing how well I've done, it can be an inspiration in other people's lives,” Blackman added.