Imagine sitting on an airplane after living nearly your entire life in moments where you needed special accommodations.

You felt the stares. You heard the whispers. You understood what it meant to have exceptions made or provisions put in place simply so you could experience things that others take for granted every day.

Now imagine the first time you didn't need them.

That was the moment Dee Everitte knew her 34-year journey toward better health had come full circle. For years, traveling came with one consistent reminder of her size: the need to ask for a seatbelt extender.

"Unless you've had to ask for that seatbelt extender, it's embarrassing," Everitte said.

The moment she realized she could buckle her seatbelt without one, she cried. It was a simple moment to everyone else on the plane. To Everitte, it was proof that decades of determination, setbacks, persistence and support had finally brought her to a place she once thought was impossible.

Now, at age 67, Everitte has been recognized as North Carolina State Queen 2025 through Take Off Pounds Sensibly, after losing more than 200 pounds from her starting weight of 434 pounds when she joined the organization on Feb. 5, 1992.

The recognition represents the greatest overall weight loss among eligible members in the state. Unlike many weight-loss programs that focus on speed or short-term results, TOPS recognizes total weight loss regardless of how long the journey takes.

A widow and retired Cumberland County Schools employee who spent approximately 30 years working with young children in pre-K programs, Everitte never imagined she would one day hold the title. Even when others hinted it might be possible, she dismissed the idea. It wasn't going to be her.

Then came the moment when she learned she had officially earned the recognition. The news was so overwhelming that she didn't tell anyone for weeks. She needed time to process it. This goal that once felt unattainable was suddenly hers.

Ironically, Everitte never joined TOPS for herself. More than three decades ago, a friend approached her about joining the organization.

"I think we need to join TOPS," her friend told her.

Everitte's immediate response was, "Are you trying to say I'm fat?"

Not because she didn't know her size, but because she was comfortable with who she was. Still, she agreed to go in support of her friend. Eventually, that friend left the program. Everitte stayed.

At the time, one of her greatest motivations was her young son. She wanted to be able to attend his baseball games, participate in activities with him and simply be present for the moments that mattered most.

Over the years, she experienced success, including losing her first 100 pounds. Then life happened. She became a caregiver for her grandparents. Her husband passed away in 2020. Responsibilities shifted. Priorities changed. There were seasons when the weight loss stalled. There were periods of progress and periods of struggle.

But through it all, Everitte never left TOPS. She never disconnected from the community that had become part of her life. She continued attending meetings. She continued showing up.

And eventually, she found a new accountability partner in fellow TOPS member Heidi. Together, the two women acknowledged they were struggling and recommitted themselves to their goals.

Their mantra became simple: "We believed we could, so we did."

That belief became the foundation for everything that followed. It was two women deciding to take the journey one day at a time. They began walking. Each day, Everitte discovered she could go a little farther than she had the day before. When she first began, walking to the mailbox left her breathless. Today, she makes the trip with ease.

One of her favorite examples involves traveling with her son and daughter-in-law. On previous trips, she often required accommodations and frequent breaks. She couldn't always keep up. But after recommitting herself to her health, she noticed something had changed.

She was walking beside them. She was seeing the sights. She was fully participating in the experience. She no longer felt like she was holding anyone back.

When Everitte was ultimately named North Carolina State Queen 2025, the recognition did not stop there. During the same recognition cycle, she was also honored as a division winner and named her chapter's Angel. In addition, her more than 200-pound weight loss earned her two Founder Memorial Award medallions.

The medallions, named in honor of TOPS founder Esther S. Manz, are awarded to members who achieve 100-pound weight-loss milestones. TOPS was founded by Manz at her kitchen table in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1948 and has since grown into an international nonprofit weight-loss support organization.

Because Everitte has surpassed 200 pounds lost, she received a second medallion and believes she is the first member of her chapter to do so. Everitte received her state recognition during TOPS State Recognition Days held May 1-2, 2026, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Concord. The event also recognized a North Carolina State King, highlighting achievements by male members as well.

Her message to anyone beginning a weight-loss journey, currently in the middle of one, or still working toward goals decades later is simple:

"No matter how long it takes, keep going,” she said.

Progress looks different for everyone. As long as you believe you can do it and continue moving forward, the goals that seem impossible today may one day become your reality. For Dee Everitte, that reality arrived 34 years after she first walked through the doors of TOPS.

And it all came full circle with one airplane seatbelt.

(Photo:Dee Everitte was honored with the title of North Carolina State Queen from Take Off Pounds Sensibly. Everitte's  decades long journey has come full circle for her. Photo courtesy of Dee Everitte)