08-05-2025
Genetic obesity medication helps East Tennessee woman lose 120+ pounds
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An East Tennessee woman lost more than 120 pounds in just a year after learning she showed signs of a genetic link to her obesity. UT Medical Center offered her a new medical breakthrough that has changed her life, proving that all cases and causes of obesity are not the same.
The simple act of walking into an exam room to meet with her nurse practitioner is something Angelia Collins will never take for granted. At her heaviest, she weighed 386 pounds. She was unable to drive and in a wheelchair. Obesity was something she lived with her whole life.
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At the age of 4, Collins was already on her way to battling obesity and being bullied at school because of her weight. She remembers the snacks her dad had at the ready.
'He always kept boxes of Little Debbie's in the vehicle in his work truck, so if you got hungry and weren't ready for lunch, you could just grab a cake,' Collins said. 'So I got in the habit of grabbing a cake. And so, my obsession with Little Debbie's grew.'
(Photo courtesy of Angelia Collins)
(Photo courtesy of Angelia Collins)
After her marriage, she learned to hide her food obsession from her husband.
'I would actually, when my husband would go to work, it was nothing for me – he worked third (shift) – so it was nothing for me to go into the cabinets and pull out five or six little cakes or grab me a handful of cookies and a Mountain Dew. I drank five of them a day,' she said.
After not being able to lose weight on her own, her primary care doctor said her only option was gastric bypass surgery. Collins went to University Bariatric Center, where she was not rushed into surgery. After talking with her, doctors felt she'd be a good candidate for a medical breakthrough drug instead.
It's called Imcivree. It's an injectable drug, but different than other weight loss drugs on the market.
'Everyone is familiar with the GLP1s that work on the gut. These work on the brain,' explained Nurse Practitioner Amber Evans. 'So, it's like a broken traffic light. These patients feel hunger all the time and they never reach satiety. So that medication helps to stop that traffic signal to say 'It's not blinking yellow-it's time to stop. You're full.' And they're like 'Ok, I'm full with this meal. I'm satisfied.''
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Imcivree is for people with a genetic link to obesity. Collins falls into that category by her signs and symptoms alone.
'There are lots of different signs,' Evans said, 'but the two main ones are childhood obesity and hyperphasia, so we call that preoccupation with food. You may eat and then feel hungry again. You may want to sneak food , you want to know when your next meal is. You may feel stressed if you're deprived of food.'
A year after being on Imcivree, Collins isn't afraid to step on the scale. She's down to 260 pounds today. That's more than a 120 pound weight loss, and she has her eyes set on a goal.
'I am 80 pounds away from where I want to be, but it's gonna happen!' she exclaimed.
Collins is now looking forward to her 40th high school reunion in June.
One side effect of the drug-it can cause skin to darken, which isn't stopping Collins from taking it. To see if you're a candidate for free genetic testing at UT Medical Center, call 865-305-9620.
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