'1000-Lb. Sisters'’ Tammy Slaton Gets Candid About Weight Loss Progress: 'Thankful to Be Alive' (Exclusive)

'1000-Lb. Sisters' star Tammy Slaton tells PEOPLE about the milestones she’s reached in her health journey since getting weight loss surgery

Tammy Slaton says she is feeling "great" as she continues to make dramatic progress following her weight-loss surgery.

The 1000-Lb. Sisters star, 36, tells PEOPLE exclusively about the milestones she has achieved since having bariatric surgery in 2022 — coming a long way since her near-death experience prior to the surgery, when she was put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma after family members said she stopped breathing.

“I wised up and got my surgery," she tells PEOPLE. "I was able to make my lungs strong enough to get my trach [tracheostomy tube for breathing] out, and then recently the doctor cleared me to be off my oxygen machine during the daytime.

“Now I only wear my oxygen at night, along with my BiPap machine," she notes. "I monitor my oxygen levels throughout the day and keep my machine on hand in case I need it.”

Slaton adds: "I’m feeling great! I’m thankful to be alive, and it’s fun to be progressing as much as I am.”

Last month, the reality star posted the first photos of herself on Instagram without her oxygen tube, shortly after she was photographed walking on her own. Prior to her weight-loss surgery, she had to use a wheelchair or a walker to assist with her mobility.

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The milestones were big enough to receive a shout out in the comments from her weight-loss surgeon Dr. Eric Smith, who wrote, “So proud of you❤️.”

Slaton has made huge strides in her health journey since starring on the hit TLC reality show. In the latest season of 1000-Lb. Sisters, viewers got an inside look at her transformation while at a weight loss rehab facility in Ohio.

In one episode, Slaton achieved her weight loss goal — she needed to drop from 717 lbs. to 550 lbs. in order to qualify for weight loss surgery, and much to her excitement, she made it down to 534 lbs.

"When I got on the scale and I saw the scale was at 534.7, I kinda stopped breathing for a second," she said during the Feb. 7 episode. "I'm like 14 lbs. under my goal weight. From over 700, that's a huge drop."

Slaton added, "I'm feeling thrilled, proud, excited — just all the emotions. I proved everybody wrong. Everybody that doubted me, I finally got mine! My told-you-so moment!"

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