Center for Bariatric Surgery

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GRADUATES OF THE CENTER FOR BARIATRIC SERVICES HANG THEIR OLD CLOTHES OUT TO DRY

CLEVELAND, OHIO (October 2003) – Graduates of the bariatric program at the Center for Bariatric Surgery (CBS) at St. Vincent Charity Hospital - 92 total – are hanging their “old” clothes out to dry – literally. At the Oct. 3, 2003, graduation celebration, the former pants of patients — ranging in size from 25 to 42 – will be draped on clotheslines throughout the main ballroom of the Cleveland Marriott at Key Center. After collectively losing 12,482 pounds – a result of having the surgical weight loss procedure – this year’s graduates have no use for their “old” pants.

Tracy Curtis-Warner, a graduate and one of the stars of the recently launched CBS multimedia advertising campaign, currently is at less than half her original weight of 310 pounds. Today, Tracy weighs in at 145 pounds. Like so many others in the bariatric program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Tracy has graduated to a new life. “I always opt for the stairs now, which is a change for me,” she says. “For the first time in my life, I’m finally in touch and at peace with my body. I look and feel better, and I’m living healthier.”

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the bariatric procedure performed by surgeons at the CBS, is a highly successful surgical weight loss procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. More than 57,000 individuals opt for the procedure each year.

CBS patients are considered alumni and allowed to "graduate" when they reach their goal weight, a process that takes approximately 12 to 18 months. Typically, patients lose 50 percent of their excess weight within 12 months following surgery, and 72 percent within 18 months. “Many graduates are doing things for the first time in their adult life, like riding a bike or tying their shoes,” says Program Director Karen Schulz, RN, MSN. “With bariatric surgery, they get a second chance. Ailments such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, infertility and other life-threatening conditions linked to morbid obesity begin vanishing as patients progressively take the weight off.”

“Overcoming Obstacles” – Topic of ‘Graduation’ Speech

The 2003 CBS graduation consists of the sharing of weight loss success stories and achievements with family, friends and future gastric bypass patients. At this year’s celebration, Motivational Speaker and Author Paul Martin will speak to the crowd of more than 300 about overcoming obstacles. Martin’s leg was amputated by St. Vincent Charity Hospital’s Dr. Laurence Bilfield, M.D., nine days after a car accident. Six months later, Martin returned to playing ice hockey. He ran his first marathon three years later and has competed in seven Ironman Triathlons to date. Martin is currently part of the U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team. Like Martin, bariatric patients must overcome many emotional and physical obstacles to achieve success.