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Last fall, Alexandra Duarte, who is now 16, went to see her endocrinologist at Texas Children\u2019s Hospital, outside Houston. From age 10, she had been living with polycystic ovary syndrome and, more recently, prediabetes. After Alexandra described her recent quincea\xf1era, the doctor brought up an operation that might benefit her, one that might help her lose weight and, as a result, improve these obesity-related problems.\n\nAlexandra, who smiles shyly and speaks softly but confidently, says she was \u201ca little skeptical at first because, like, it\u2019s a surgery.\u201d But her mother, Gabriela Velez, suggested that her daughter consider it. \u201cEver since I was a toddler, my mom knew that I was struggling with obesity,\u201d Alexandra says.\n\nThe teasing started in fifth grade. Alexandra couldn\u2019t eat without her classmates staring at and judging her. Though she sought counseling for her sadness and anxiety, these troubles still caused her to leave school for a month. The bullying finally stopped after she switched schools in 10th grade, but Alexandra\u2019s parents knew how deeply she continued to suffer. How much more could their daughter endure? After the doctor suggested bariatric surgery, an operation on the gastrointestinal tract that helps patients lose weight, they spoke to friends who had successfully been through the procedure as adults. They decided it was a smart option for her. Alexandra wasn\u2019t sure.