PHOENIX -- Imagine being given a death sentence by your doctor who told you to lose weight or you'd die. That's exactly what happened to Traci Hawkins.

She lost 285 pounds through surgery. But afterward, she was left with pounds and pounds of skin hanging from her body.

"I weighed about 430 pounds. I was a beanbag chair with a head. That's the way I like to describe it," Hawkins said.

NewsChannel5 followed Hawkins on her nine-month journey in and out of operating rooms trying to regain her life after the weight was gone.

SLIDESHOW: Weight Loss, Skin Surgery

The 5 foot-5 inch woman was in shock at the damage done to her body.

She was left with mounds and mounds of loose skin hanging from her body. It was a constant reminder of her past. At only 145 pounds, Hawkins was feeling the effects of having been obese.

"I get rashes, like I said, I pinch myself a lot. Its embarrassing, I don't wear shorts or short sleeves," Hawkins said.

She had to undergo drastic surgery -- a full body lift. But this amount of skin removal had never been done before.

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Skin Surgery

"This is probably the most extensive amount of skin that I've ever seen," said plastic surgeon Sean Lille.

He said it's not as easy as just removing skin.

"It's going to be a long process. As a result, it's going to be a staged process so we can tackle as much of this as we can," Lille said.

Aug. 26, 2003, was the morning of Hawkin's first surgery.

"We're going to be contouring and removing excess skin from the abdomen. Then we'll focus on the sides and the buttocks," Lille said.

Once in the operating room, Lille first freed Hawkin of the skin on her stomach -- 7 pounds of it.

He then moved onto the outer thigh area. In all, the first operation removed 14 pounds of skin.

Two months later, Hawkins was back at the hospital; it was time to get rid of the skin under her arms.

In about an hour, the flaps that kept Hawkins from wearing short-sleeved shirts were gone.

Six days later, Hawkins was amazed.

After healing from liposuction performed three months previous, Hawkins returned for her fourth surgery -- the most extensive skin removal so far, NewsChannel5 reported.

"The risk is much higher because this dense lymphatic tissue doesn't heal as well," Lille said.

It's high-risk, but a high reward, according to Hawkins.

"Yeah, this is the only one that I wanted, actually. The other ones have been fantastic. But this is the only one I have been looking forward to," Hawkins said.

The amount of skin hanging from the back of Hawkins' legs affects her on a daily basis.

"It throws off my balance. It's been a hassle. I've done everything I can, and this is the next step, to get rid of it," Hawkins said.

Once in the operating room, Lille showed the area on which he would concentrate.

"We'll go ahead and excise this large area," Lille said.

And as a result, Hawkins life has been changed.

"Traci is going to be very happy after this operation; it's going to take most off all the heavy weight off the back of her thighs and she'll be able to fit into some jeans without having to spend half of an hour doing it," Lille said.

In all, Lille removed close to 8 pounds from her legs.

About four weeks after the surgery, Hawkins was ready to see the results.

"Yeah, this one has made such a difference for me. This is the one I've wanted. It's just great. It worked, it's fabulous, I can't thank you enough," Hawkins said.

After nine months of surgeries and recovery, Hawkins could finally see an end to her struggle. At 430 pounds, something as simple as visiting a place like the Botanical Gardens would have been impossible.

"Having this done has been a revelation being able to walk around. When I jump, there is not aftershock, when I stop moving, all of me stops moving," she said.

The determinatin paid off. The 7 pounds of skin removed from Hawkins' stomach left her with a stomach most women dream of.

Her arms are no longer anything to be embarrassed about and she can now wear short sleeves. And finally the back of her legs that had affected everything she did are now 8 pounds lighter with the skin removed.

"I regard it as something as a holiness, something of sanctity and for me to have the opportunity to do that its beyond words," Lille said.

"It just blows my mind that he actually did it, especially my legs. I have such respect for that man, I admire him, he saved me," Hawkins said.

She is now finding strength in her past.

"I hope now that I have this new and smaller body that I can go off and do whatever I want," Hawkins said.

She still has to have two more surgeries to completely remove the skin.