At St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, we recognize how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off. That’s why every spring we host a recognition event for all of our bariatric surgery patients who are at least one year out from surgery.

This year’s My New Life Celebration honored Center for Bariatric Surgery patients who underwent weight loss surgery between January 1, 2014 and April 1, 2015. The 47 patients who attended the event on May 6 lost a collective 5,507 pounds—an amazing accomplishment! What’s more is that they have also improved their health, reduced or eliminated medications and have returned to living active lives.  

We had a surprise visit from our former medical director, Dr. Chandra Hassan, who returned from his teaching position in Chicago, to celebrate the accomplishments of our patients--with our patients. Additionally, attendees were able to meet the new faces at the Center for Bariatric Surgery—including Dr. Michael Nowak, Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery.

“Tonight represents the culmination of a long and courageous journey for so many of you,” Dr. David Perse, president and CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center told the attendees. “There have been hard times no doubt and moments where you wondered if you could do it, if you could continue. Your results prove that what we do and how we do it, helps transform lives.”

A new twist on this year’s celebration was the Care Beyond Medicine awards program. Patients were invited to submit short videos telling us how bariatric surgery changed their lives. Rather than telling us about the numbers on the scale, we wanted to know what they couldn’t do before that they can do now and what it means to their life.

A panel of caregivers from the Center for Bariatric Surgery reviewed the inspiring videos and selected the top 3 submissions to receive a customized prize package. This year’s prizes included:

 ·       A “mini-moon” in Amish Country for a patient who told us that they did not get to take a honeymoon following their wedding a few years ago.

·         A spa gift certificate for a patient who is getting married in the fall

·         2 Cedar Point season passes for a patient who told us about how they are now able to do more activities with their son

We’re so proud of all of our patients who made this important decision to improve their health. Congratulations!