Success Stories

Weight-loss Surgery Patients Fashion Inspirational Quilt

When patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have to be weighed, they have something to look at besides the number on the scale. On the wall above the scale is a colorful quilt that conveys inspirational messages and success markers from other patients.

Linda Trainor, a bariatric nurse coordinator at the hospital, had the idea to create the quilt to “weave together the success” of the clinic’s patients.

Patients were given quilt squares that read “Now I can … ” and were asked to complete the sentence. Patients wrote successes such as “Now I can touch my toes,” “Now I can fly without an extension belt,” and “Now I can hug my husband.”

“The quilt helps patients share with each other in a personal and profound way and when they do that, this becomes a clinic without walls,” says Trainor.

To read the full article, please visit Bariatric Patients Fashion Inspirational Quilt.

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Note to teacher prompts gastric bypass surgery, 200-pound weight loss

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In 2004, Judy Austin weighed 560 pounds. The St. Louis native says being that close to 600 pounds was “very, very scary,” but she still made excuses not to make her health a priority.

“I was in school, working on my master’s, and I’d say, ‘When I am finished with my master’s I will concentrate on my weight,’" Austin told The St. Louis American. "And of course, while I was working on my master’s, what did I do? I rewarded myself with food.”

Although she later lost 130 pounds after joining Weight Watchers, Austin’s weight continued to adversely affect her health and her quality of life. She had problems with her knees and ankles and experienced difficulty walking, which interfered with her job as a first-grade teacher.

When one of her students wrote down the phone number from an infomercial selling exercise equipment and handed it to her, Austin was so touched she started crying and had to leave the room. That moment was a turning point for Austin, who made the decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery, even though her insurance wouldn’t cover the procedure.

Though the first year after surgery was a difficult period that required Austin to change her lifelong relationship with food, she lost 200 pounds, going from a size 42 to a size 26.

To read the full article, please visit Note to teacher prompts bypass surgery, 200-pound weight loss.

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Couple loses 249 pounds with gastric bypass, duodenal switch

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Northwest Indiana residents Lorie and Todd Richmond underwent weight-loss surgery on the same day in December 2008. A year later, the couple has lost a combined 249 pounds.

After having gastric bypass surgery, Todd is down to his goal weight of 207 and has been able to stop taking medications for cholesterol and blood pressure. Lorie, who had a duodenal switch procedure, has lost 151 pounds and plans to lose another 60.

Since their surgeries, the couple says their quality of life has drastically improved. They are able to engage in activities they couldn’t do before, such as hiking, riding bikes, and playing basketball with their children.

“This year has been awesome for us,” says Lorie. “Life is opening up for us.”

To read the full article, please visit Couple loses 249 pounds together in a year.

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Bariatric Surgery Helps Mother Realize Her Dream

Brandy Cleveland and her husband Steven began trying to start a family in 2000, but at 465 pounds, Brandy was unable to conceive. Doctors told her she had polycystic ovarian syndrome and that she needed to lose at least 100 pounds.

Brandy’s strong desire to have children of her own was the deciding factor when it came to bariatric surgery. Just 11 months after her surgery, Brandy became pregnant with the couple’s first child.

“Often this is something that, following substantial weight loss after weight loss surgery, their menstrual cycles improve; the extra lipid load in their body is gone that was throwing off their hormones, and they come back into balance,” says bariatric surgeon Dr. Shanu Kothari.

Five years later, she is now expecting their third child. Both of their older children were carried to term without complications.

To read the full article, please visit Bariatric Surgery Helps Mother Realize Her Dream.

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Coach Clay has successful gastric bypass surgery

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After several weeks of fundraising, Clay Owens of Charleston, SC, underwent a life-saving gastric bypass surgery on Thursday, December 17.

The assistant high-school football coach, who weighs more than 600 pounds, was told by doctors in November that he would probably die unless he had the procedure, but his insurance wouldn’t cover it. Churches, students, and local businesses rallied together to raise the $30,000 needed for the operation. Though Owens still needed about $10,000 with less than a week before the surgery, large donations came in over the weekend from area churches.

“It’s amazing how it all came together,” said Owens’s wife Suzie, who has been posting updates on her Facebook page, HelpClayOwens, which has more than 500 fans.

“He came thru surgery with flying colors,” she posted on Friday afternoon.

To read the full article, please visit Coach Clay has successful gastric bypass surgery.

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