At age 14, weighing 445 pounds, Maria Caprigno from Norwood, Mass., resorted to going under the knife not only to lose weight, but to save her life.

Maria’s story is sadly becoming less of a novelty in America’s ongoing battle with childhood obesity.

By the time she was nine, she weighed 250 pounds. Last month, she hit 445 pounds. She received an experimental procedure known as a “gastrectomy.” Within a month she had lost 45 pounds.

How young is too young for invasive surgery? Has our country and our parents failed at protecting children from their own bodies?

To reach the point of such morbid obesity at a young age seems inconceivable and we can’t just slice and dice every fat child. Not only is the procedure costly and dangerous, it’s a short-term solution. The heart of the problem is the education and the lack of resources kids have to keep their bodies healthy.

Just like children need to be taught right from wrong, they must be educated in maintaining good health. What’s the point in education if you drop dead at age 30 from a weight related diseases?

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 32 percent of children, and adolescents-25 million kids in America­-are obese or overweight. Whether the cause is ignorance or negligence from society or the parents, the issue has exceeded expectations.

In the past 30 years, child obesity has doubled. Now one in five estimated children in the U.S. are overweight. They are at a greater risk of developing several fatal and costly diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So if it isn’t enough incentive to save lives, how about saving dollars?

The costs “take your breath away,” said First Lady Michelle Obama, who is proposing a plan to prevent child obesity. According to government data, obesity costs the country a staggering $147 billion a year in weight-related medical bills.

Michelle Obama wants to use her power in the White House to offer healthier foods in school vending machines, stop advertising junk food to kids, and provide more physical activity at school.

Obama’s office has lined up commitments from mayors, business leaders, grocery store owners, school lunch suppliers and non-profit groups. It’s time to come up with a solution.

The support Michelle Obama is receiving thus far shows that people want to help, not only for the overweight kids, but also for our nation. Without an incoming healthy generation, we have no future.

But not all people want to help fight obesity. Large fast food companies such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Dunkin Donuts are spreading their grease across the globe.

We might be known today as the “fattest country” in the world, and even though we have a seductive way of setting trends, hopefully children obesity won’t be yet another.