Bullied 16-year-old weighing 23-stone becomes one of the youngest to have gastric band surgery in the UK

Severely obese: Jen Hogarth underwent surgery after doctors warned the 23-stone 16-year-old she could die before she was 20 if she continued her eating habits

A 23-stone teenager who needed a respirator to help her breathe at night has become one of the youngest people in the UK to have been given gastric surgery.

Bullied Jen Hogarth, from North Tyneside, underwent the successful gastric bypass operation after becoming terrified she may die without taking drastic action.

Tipping the scales at 23 stone (146kgs) and with a BMI of more than 50, the severely obese 16-year-old had been warned by doctors that she may be struck down by a heart attack before she turns 20 if nothing was done.

But now Miss Hogarth is now looking forward to a healthier future, having already lost five stone.

The surgery involved slicing a section of her stomach in order to make a small pouch, which was then reconnected to the lower intestine, which restricted the amount of food she can eat.

The teenager had to travel to Sheffield from the north-east for the operation because gastric bypass surgery is not yet available to under 18s in her region.

Having adjusted to her new eating routine, she said: 'I feel great, like I've been given a new life. I can't wait to get into college and make everyone proud.

'I'm no longer the kind of girl who hides away. I'm just as good a person as everyone else, I always was, but it's taken until now to make me see that.'

Miss Hogarth told how she has been over-eating from an early age, much of it resulting from being bullied at school.

Problem: Obesity rates among children in the North East are significantly higher than the national average with 20 per cent of 11-year olds in the region being classed as obese

Time to change? Surgeon Bruce Jaffray, based at the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary (pictured), had a team ready to open a specialist children's weight loss unit offering gastric surgery two years ago, but failed to get the green light

She said: 'It was depressed and as soon as I got home I would just eat more.'

As she went for the operation in October Miss Hogarth weighed 23 stone, despite efforts to lose weight herself, and she had also begun to develop diabetes.

Miss Hogarth has received criticism from people who claim she's opted for a 'quick-fix', but bariatric (weight loss) surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital Peter Small said: 'Surgery is the last resort.

'It is an aid to somebody making lifestyle changes and sticking to them. If they don't make them the surgery won't work.'

Obesity rates among children in the North East are significantly higher than the national average with 20 per cent of 11-year olds in the region being classed as obese.

While gastric bypass operations are not available to under 18s in the North at the moment, a group of doctors from Newcastle want this to change.

The clinicians led by surgeon Bruce Jaffray, who is based at the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), have said they had a team ready to open a specialist children's weight loss unit offering gastric surgery two years ago, but failed to get the green light from the primary care trust.

Health commissioners argue the money is better spent on prevention.

Professor Sue Milner of NHS North of Tyne said: 'At this point in time we don't think there is sufficient need in the region to invest in a specialist service because of course, we only have a limited amount of funds.'