Dan's Story

As I sit here writing this paragraph relaying my experience with Gastric By-Pass Surgery my heart is filled with a resounding message. The message is about second chances and living a life worth living. Prior to having my "life-saving" surgery I literally had no life. I was on 19 different medications for every complication you could imagine from uncontrollable Diabetes to "stroke-level" blood pressure. The picture you see of me on my Harley Davidson was taken 3 days prior to my 2005 Valentines Day surgery. I bought that motorcycle that day because I always had motorcycles and did not want to die before owning one. I made a deal with the owner of the dealership that if I died that winter he would give my wife back the money I paid for the bike. I was 420 lbs and I was a beaten man. The surgery gave me a tool to learn how to come "back" to life. The key word is "tool". The surgery itself does not change who you are, just how you can control the amount of food you eat at one time. As you learn that you really could be satisfied eating and feeling just full enough to let you go on with living. Eat to live rather than live to eat. The results for me are proof. My weight is down 160 lbs and has been kept off. I no-longer take any prescription medicine. My life is just that...My Life.