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MIDDLETOWN — Judy Adkins wants to play with her 6-year-old son, walk across her trailer without losing her breath and return to the work force.

She wants to live again.

Adkins, 40, is a mother and wife who — because of her obesity — has limited capabilities. She's 5-foot-5 and weighs — depending on her eating habits and stress level — between 450 and 500 pounds.

Six years ago, right after her son, Norman "Buddy" Adkins was born, Adkins, who said her weight has been a longtime battle, considered bariatric surgery. She has dangerously high blood pressure, and the potential for diabetes. With such health risks, she's playing Russian Roulette with one hand and holding a ticking time bomb in the other.

As she talked about her son, and how she wants to live to see him grow up, tears filled her eyes.

She called bariatric surgery, which has grown in popularity in recent years, a potentially "life-altering experience" required to "save" her life.

Although guidelines vary, surgery is generally considered when body mass index is 40 or higher combined with a life-threatening or disabling condition related to weight, according to WebMD.com. Most people who have gastric bypass surgery quickly lose weight and continue to lose weight for up to one year, the site said.

"If I don't have it, well ..." her voice trailed off. She couldn't finish the sentence.

Last week, Atrium Medical Center, because of increased competition, announced that its award-winning Bariatric Wellness Center was closing.

The decision couldn't have come at a worse time for Judy Adkins and her family. She and her husband, Norman Jr., had saved the $18,100 necessary for the surgery.

She had attended all the classes on nutrition, exercise and received the wellness center psychological services. She was prepared to begin her two-week liquid diet and was scheduled for bariatric surgery on Tuesday, July 8.

The countdown to her "new life" as she called it had begun.

"It was right there," she said holding two fingers inches apart.

The family also is upset that no one from the bariatric center or hospital notified them about the closing and the canceled surgery.

No letter. No phone call.

"It was a slap in the face," Norman Adkins said.

Later, he added: "It's more like a punch in the face."

"It should have been handled better," his wife said. "They should have told us. It's so frustrating. It's not fair."

Sandy Oswald, director of marketing, planning and communications at Atrium, said she was "extremely sorry" if anyone scheduled for surgery wasn't notified.

As Adkins sat on the edge of her couch, she heard her son playing with his aunt in another room. Hearing the giggles brought more tears.

"I want to feel great," she said. "I want to be a mom to my son. I know there's a potential for good and a potential for bad, but I'm ready to take my chances."

And now that chance to lose weight must wait.