After

Before

Dana was too young to feel so old. In December of 2002, the young mother was more than 100 pounds overweight - considered morbidly obese by her physicians. She tried everything in hopes of losing the weight but nothing worked. "I was worried about my children," Dana said. "I didn't want my daughter to feel being overweight was the way life had to be." Dana knew it was a possibility since she'd followed in her own mother's footsteps. "When I was a kid, we used to have the Clean Plate Club at home," Dana said. "You always had to clean your plate and I just continued that way of eating when I grew up." Dana's mother was obese too and she knew that her life was mirroring her mother's life and she would soon struggle with some or all of the same co-morbidities like sleep apnea, high blood pressure and diabetes. "When I got too tired to play with my kids, I'd had enough," Dana remembers. She talked with her mother and together they researched surgical weight loss options. They learned about gastric bypass surgery at Harper University Hospital. After taking a battery of tests and psychological exams, they decided to do it. Dana and her mother scheduled surgery for the same day in January 2003. By December of that year, they'd each lost more than 100 pounds. "We both feel great," Dana said. "We have more energy and our health is much better." "Dana is doing fantastic," Dr. Wood said. "She's kind of an ambassador for our program because she's doing all the right things. If you follow the guidelines, you'll do well." "My doctor and all the people at Harper were great. I'd recommend them to anyone," Dana said. "The way I was going, I was on a path of serious health problems. They gave me my life back and helped me show my daughter you don't have to be overweight." Now six years later, Dana has successfully kept the weight off and is a bariatric patient coordinator for Dr. Wood helping hundreds of patients reach their goals for a healthier life.

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