A 13-year-old girl who underwent gastric sleeve surgery after gaining more than 150lbs and barely being able to move her body has completed her first 5K race a year after the life-saving weight loss procedure . Alexis Shapiro , from Cibolo , Texas , who suffers from hypothalamic obesity , a condition that leaves her constantly hungry and unable to lose weight , weighed 203lbs in 2014 despite being only 4 ' 7 . After she was denied weight loss surgery by her health insurer because she was 'too young ' , her parents started an online crowdfunding campaign and raised more than $ 86,000 to cover the medical costs . ' I still really believe the surgery saved her life , ' her 35-year-old mom Jenny Shapiro told People . ' I do n't even know if we would be here . Seeing her do a 5K was just icing on the cake . ' Scroll down for video . Making strides : Alexis Shapiro completed her first 5K race this month ( pictured ) . Last year , the 13-year-old underwent gastric sleeve surgery to help her lose more than 50lbs . Last year , competing in a race would have been impossible for Alexis , who was almost always in pain because of her size . She began rapidly gaining weight after she sought treatment for her rare brain tumor in 2011 ; the surgery to remove the benign tumor caused damage to her hypothalamus and led to the development of hypothalamic obesity . After gaining 150lbs over the course of two years she developed type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related problems . Alexis had the life-saving surgery last March , but due to complications doctors were forced to perform a gastric sleeve surgery instead of the scheduled gastric bypass . Feeling better : Alexis , who suffers from hypothalamic obesity , a condition that leaves her constantly hungry and unable to lose weight , posed for the camera in a light pink crochet sweater last August . Puppy love : Alexis can be seen cuddling on the couch with her dog last month . She returned to school six months later after she lost more than 60lbs . But managing Alexis ' weight is still a constant struggle . Her mom , who said 'hypothalamic obesity is a beast ' , admitted to the outlet that her daughter had since put eight to 10lbs back on her frame . Alexis continues to take steroids and growth hormones every day because her brain tumor surgery also left her with panhypopituitarism , a syndrome marked by decreased secretion of most pituitary hormones . Getting stronger : The teen was photographed working out in the gym last May . Vacation time : Alexis was all smiles during a trip to the beach . Although the treatments make her feel ill and cause her to miss school at least once a week , Alexis is happier than she has been in a long time . 'Alexis has a confidence about her that she didn ’ t have before , ' Jenny said . 'She 's gaining independence little by little and becoming her own person . ' Jenny also noted that her daughter , who was once home-schooled , now has friends in her class . She maintained that , despite the ongoing complications Alexis is forced to deal with , the surgery was 'really good ' for her . ' I 'm baffled by how well she does , especially at her age , ' Jenny said . 'She 's such a tough girl . '
Alexis Shapiro was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 2011 and the treatment left her with a condition called hypothalamic obesity . The teen , from Cibolo , Texas , who weighed 203lbs in 2012 , had gastric sleeve surgery last March and has lost more than 60lbs .