Samantha Sher loves to color. She also likes being outdoors. "I like to play outside on my bike."
But Samantha battles something most kids her age don't-- obesity.
She's 5-years-old and weighs almost 100 pounds. She sometimes wonders what other kids might say. "They might say I'm big."
"About 2 1/2 is when her weight started to go off the charts and her height started to go off the charts. And I just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her," said her mother, Elena Sher.
Doctors think it could be insulin resistance. She's under the care of an endocrinologist. As the doctor tries to get her weight down, finding clothes that fit are a problem.
"I noticed a lot of garments within the back area and in the chest area got a little tight on her," Elena said.
So she recently launched her own clothing line-- Sunflower Girlz. "I wanted to make things easy for her to get the clothes on and take the clothes off. And also she gets very sweaty and she's carrying a lot of excess weight, and I want to make sure that the clothes that she has on are very breathable."
She says wearing clothes that fit and look pretty help Samantha's self-esteem.
Pediatrician Dr. Jeanmarie Connor, of Premier Pediatrics, says children can struggle with self-esteem for many years if it is not dealt with.
"It starts very young, body image, self-esteem starts very young, so that's what we are trying to focus on, making sure that she knows that she is beautiful from a very young age so that she doesn't get depressed as an adolescent and an adult," the doctor said.
"Ultimately self-esteem again comes from within, but any little exterior help is always wonderful," Elena said.
