MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WSAW) - A Marshfield woman who nearly lost her life in an ATV accident has transformed her health and self-confidence by losing 93 pounds with GLP-1 medications.
Shelly Messick's journey began with tragedy in 2020 when an ATV crushed her, leaving her with a skull fracture, broken neck, broken back and punctured lungs.
"They told my kids I wasn't even going to live the helicopter ride to get to the hospital," she said.
The accident left Messick partially paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair.
"I run into things a lot, but I laugh about it," she said. "It changes the way you have to do life, but it does not take your life."
Before her accident, Messick had successfully lost 100 pounds using Phentermine, a weight loss medication. She had struggled with weight loss due to Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid. However, after suffering her injuries, she regained all 100 pounds.
"I took a picture of myself one day to send to somebody, and I did not recognize the person in that picture, the weight, and that's what did it for me," Messick said. "And losing weight in a wheelchair, even if you are an athletic person, even if you really do have a big way to do it, it's very difficult. You're very sedentary lifestyle."
In 2023, Messick had scheduled bariatric surgery when she learned about GLP-1 medications.
She was prescribed 2.5mg of Mounjaro and experienced rapid results, losing 40 pounds in just two months. Over 18 months on Mounjaro, Messick lost a total of 93 pounds.
"As I lost the weight and lost the weight, I started gaining back my confidence and my self-worth," she said.
The weight loss brought multiple benefits beyond appearance. It lowered her A1C levels, helped her exit obesity classification, and made mobility significantly easier.
"From this chair to bed or to, what other thing I've got to be on. Well, I do that by lifting myself up with my arms. The more my weight is, the worse that is on my arms," Messick explained.
The medication wasn't without side effects. Messick experienced nausea, insomnia and significant hair loss.
"We had to call the wheelchair company out one day because my chair wouldn't move, and they pulled off the wheel and the axles were wrapped with my hair," she said.
Despite these challenges, Messick considered them a small price to pay for the life-changing results. Her increased confidence helped her leave a toxic relationship and feel comfortable in public again.
"If you would have asked me to go to those kinds of events before Mounjaro after my accident, I absolutely did not go in public. I was just very ashamed of both the wheelchair and what I looked like size-wise," Messick said.
Since discontinuing Mounjaro 11 months ago, Messick has lost an additional 11 pounds through a protein-centered diet. Now weighing 161 pounds, she's happy with her current weight and shares her journey on TikTok.
"You also have to change you. If you have bad eating habits, no shot, no pill, no nothing is going to work," Messick said.
Shelly Messick isn't just trying to share her story with weight loss. She also visits hospitals after people have been in serious accidents, to inspire them to keep going.
"You don't have to let anything keep you down. You can go. I mean, right now, honestly, I'm sitting here, I'm dealing with stage-four osteomyelitis, and I have a wound through the bone on my leg. You still have to live life. You still have to go. You have to get stuff done," Messick said.