Vicki Perez is a Florida bikini model.

Perez has revealed that a brain tumor caused her to gain 42 pounds.

The fitness model said she noticed the weight gain coming on in October 2015, where in less than a year she saw her weight balloon from 130 pound to 172 pounds, even though she maintained her diet and exercise routine.

She was diagnosed with Cushing's disease caused by high cortisol levels – a steroid hormone that regulates the body’s metabolism. In January 2016 she found out this was due to a tumor on her Pituitary gland. She had two surgeries to have the tumor removed, and is halfway back to her normal weight as of March 2017. ^[0]

Perez'GoFundMe page has raised nearly $2K of an $8K goal so far. ^[2]