Coconut Creek Mom Advocates for Daughter with Down Syndrome, Secures Weight Loss Surgery

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Risa Teate and daughter Kaylee Gallegos.

Gastric sleeve surgery gave Coconut Creek resident Kaylee Gallegos, who has Down Syndrome and Autism, a new lease on life, according to her mother, Risa Teate.

However, finding a doctor willing to do the surgery was extremely difficult.

“I felt I had to fight for my daughter’s health and future,” said Teate.

Following her eventual surgery in March 2023, Kaylee, 25, who is 4 feet 6 inches tall, went from 186 to 121 pounds.

After being depressed, borderline diabetic, and suffering from Hidradenitis Suppurativa, an inflammatory disease often related to obesity, Kaylee now follows an active lifestyle. She has become the face of Broward Health and has been featured in national TV commercials and billboards.

Kaylee also accepted a few modeling jobs, traveling to Dallas, Texas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for a photo shoot featuring an urban clothing line.

“Kaylee graduated from Monarch High School, where she was a part of the cheerleading team. She loves dancing and karaoke and was always an active child,” Teate said, adding that she did not realize how big her daughter was getting until a doctor’s appointment with a family gynecologist.

Coconut Creek Mom Advocates for Daughter with Down Syndrome, Secures Weight Loss Surgery

Kaylee Gallegos {Courtesy Risa Teate}

According to her, the doctor commented on Gallegos’s weight and reprimanded her, saying it was her fault her daughter was getting heavier.

“‘You, Ms. Teate, took the easy way out and had a gastric bypass. She can’t,’” she recalled the doctor saying.

“Believe me, it was far from the easy way out,” said Teate about the bariatric surgery Teate had herself 14 years ago. “The doctor told me it was all my fault – Kaylee can’t control what she eats, so it’s up to me to help. We were both in tears.”

Teate then started thinking: why can’t her daughter have the surgery if she needs it? However, even finding a specialist willing to provide a consultation proved challenging.

After being rejected by 15 doctors, she vowed to go “from the Keys to Tallahassee” to find one who would see Kaylee. “The minute they heard that she has Downs and Autism, they all said no, and nobody would give me a real reason. It felt like a prejudice,” Teate said.

Kaylee and her mother featured in an ad for Broward Health. {Broward Health}

She shared her challenges with the Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization, and they told her to “keep fighting.” “Because if we won’t fight for our kids, who will?”

Teate said that many people with Down syndrome have an accompanying thyroid condition that can cause weight gain.

Kaylee’s surgery wasn’t about “being thin” but about her health in general, she said.

“She was suffering, listless, with no energy. She cried in front of our primary doctor. I was not going to give up on my child and her health.”

Finally, Teate found Dr. Chi Zhang, a general bariatric surgeon practicing at Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital, who agreed to treat Kaylee.

After examining Kaylee, he asked why so many doctors turned her down. Teate said that no one would give her answers. She felt doctors believed it would have been cruel to subject Kaylee to surgery she may not understand, followed by the changes to her body, diet, and lifestyle.

According to Teate, Dr. Zhang said 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.

“Kaylee did really well after the surgery,” Teate said. “She started walking hours later, and the following day, when we got home to the Banyon Point Apartments, Coconut Creek firefighters helped bring her to our floor because she wasn’t allowed to walk upstairs. Within two weeks, she was at the gym.”

Kaylee Gallegos and her mother Risa Teate {Courtesy}

Teate shared that her daughter has a lot of energy, enjoys working out, and loves modeling.

“Never underestimate a person with a disability – they have the same needs, emotions, and problems,” she said. “Kaylee knew what she wanted, but she could not get there on her own. I was her voice and her advocate. Listen to your child and fight for what they want.”

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Agrippina Fadel

Agrippina Fadel grew up in Siberia and received her master's in journalism from Tyumen State University. A resident of Florida for over 10 years, she also works as a marketing and communication specialist at a local university.