Success Stories

Call 847-356-4745 to explore your weight loss options. Allen & Shelly Ellsworth:  For the Family by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Allen and Shelly were both considering gastric bypass surgery.&n...

Amy Gebel - "I'm Never Going Back" by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Amy Gebel always thought she was a happy person and had a good life despite weighing much more than she wanted to with a BMI of almost...

Areina Roman - She Did Surgery for Her Health by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Areina Roman decided to have weight loss surgery for many good reasons, all related to her health.  At her highest wei...

Cecilia Hernandez: It was worth it! by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Although Cecilia has always been happy and didn’t let her weight get to her, it was starting to be a health issue. Her blood pre...

Christina Hernadez: Her Story My name is Christina Hernandez and I wanted to update you on my success with the gastric bypass surgery. I had it done on Sept 23, 2008, and as of today I weigh 136...

Gloria Peyton UPDATE: Now at over 180 lbs less at five years out from her bypass, Gloria feels great. She still watches her food and takes her vitamins. Also, she no longer uses a cane and says, "It ...

"I needed to do something. I had a car accident, and they weren’t able to get me out of the car," Jennifer recalls. She survived because of her size, but says, "I didn’t feel I was worthy of them hel...

Kirsten Booth - "I'm Happy That I Have a Lot of Energy." by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Kirsten remembers vividly what it was like before weight loss surgery.  “It was a struggle from day-to-day,...

Korine Custer: The Popcorn Lady Feels Like a Million Bucks by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Before surgery Korine found even simple daily tasks incredibly difficult to do. She would get winded doing the...

LaRissa Harrington: - Gastric Bypass Gave Her a Second Chance by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Before having weight loss surgery every day was a struggle for LaRissa. She says, “I was in pain, tired, an...

Leonardo Figueroa: Without the Surgery I was Close to Death by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Before surgery Leonardo says, “I wasn’t able to walk.  I had a pain in my legs.  I couldn’t shower ...

Lina Dominguez: I don't miss overeating by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD/LD For Lina the main reason for doing weight loss surgery was her kids and being able to do activities with them. That was a ver...

Linda's story started painfully. She had just finished successful treatment for cancer of the face when the doctor said to her, "It doesn't matter, you won't enjoy it because you are so morbidly obes...

Margaret Parks - "The LAP-BAND® is Part of My Life Now" by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD For Margaret Parks the basic issues were being able to move around, walk and breathe, all health issues. Being ov...

Margarita Munoz - She's Not Tired Anymore by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Margarita doesn’t have to reach back too far to remember what it was like before surgery mostly due to a severe case of sleep a...

Mary Pirrello Gastric Bypass Patient Celebrates Three-Year Anniversary by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Mary Pirrello celebrated her one-year-anniversary on December 27th, 2006. I first met Mary when sh...

Melanie Canaday: Just Go For It June Zaragoza, MPH, RD/LD As Melanie put it, “I got tired of being overweight.” She had bad knees, sleep apnea, diabetes, asthma, and was on daily medications for...

Pateisha Smith - A New Lease on Life by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Pateisha was very clear about how bad her life was before surgery. She states, “I was mentally depressed, I couldn’t get out, I coul...

Why did Rafiqah decide to get gastric bypass surgery? It wasn't just for health, though her knees were hurting and she had back problems and high blood pressure. It was because at age 28 and over 400...

Rebecca Staller - Gastric Bypass Patient Now Has Hope for the Future by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Rebecca Staller had the gastric bypass surgery on February 15, 2006 because by age 21 she was ready....

Sarah Petrovic - A Second Chance at Life by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Sarah Petrovic looked into weight loss surgery almost two years ago because she felt, “I was a time-bomb.”  With heart dise...

Susan “Michelle” Rigney: I had the power to change my life by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD/LD   Michelle says that she wasn’t exactly miserable before losing weight, but she didn’t want to live that w...

"I Wanted to be a Role Model for my Kids." Yolanda is very clear about what prompted her to apply for weight loss surgery. She says, "I almost hit 300 lbs. That scared me. I was done having kids, and...

Yolanda Tucker - She Can Now Do More With Her Children by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD Yolanda Tucker had gastric bypass surgery one year ago at the age of 29.  Why?  She says, “My life befor...