* Note: Individual results may vary.
John – Gastric Sleeve*
From Fear to Ferrari: A Journey of Radical Transformation
John Renaldo had just about everything. Happily married to his high school sweetheart and a father of three, the MBA graduate has worked as an account director responsible for website design and development in Manhattan for the past 11 years.
But the 36-year-old Port Chester, New York, resident didn’t have the one thing that ultimately mattered: a clean bill of health. That’s because a life of being overweight resulted in fear for his longevity.
“I was always overweight, even as a child,” he says. One of two siblings (his sister also used to be overweight), Renaldo feels that having two working parents and being physically inactive combined with a particular cultural heritage contributed to his condition.
“I’m from an Italian family, the kind where grandma is always trying to stuff you,” Renaldo says. “We were served a platter of food and told to eat as much as we wanted. It’s a cliché about Italian families, but it’s true.”
Having that foundation, he entered college, a landmine of food freedom. Renaldo said he then went “beyond being chubby.” As a college freshman, he went up to 220 pounds, and by the time he finished graduate school seven years later, he weighed in at 272.
He began going for physicals, and his numbers had climbed off the charts. His blood pressure was very high, his glucose was borderline and his kidneys were compromised. “These were all things you shouldn’t normally have to deal with at this age,” he points out. By his mid-20s, he had consulted a kidney specialist and was on three blood pressure medications in an effort to bring his numbers down.
His motivation to change was born with his first child. By now weighing in at 308 pounds, he recalls, “Comfortably holding my son was difficult; it was taxing for me physically. And he was only going to get more active.”
Renaldo began to worry that due to his health, he might not be around for his son long-term. That worry triply escalated when his son was joined by twin brothers.
The twins were five months old when, on Christmas eve of 2016, says Renaldo, “God’s honest truth, I saw the light.”
“Approaching New Year of 2017, I thought about how everyone talks about resolutions for diet and exercise,” he says. But his wife, who he says “has always been my biggest advocate and knows me better than anyone,” felt what he really needed was bariatric surgery.
New Year, New Man
It was the new year of 2017 when John Renaldo began his quest for better health. He began researching bariatric surgeons. He discovered that Dr. Ashutosh Kaul, an award-winning surgeon at Advanced Surgeons, not only has stellar credentials and surgical experience, but trains other surgeons as a professor. In consultation, Dr. Kaul and, Renaldo decided on sleeve gastrectomy.
Facing Fear
“I was nervous,” admits Renaldo. “I wasn’t really completely comfortable with surgery. Subconsciously, I was looking for a red flag in order to justify not doing it. ‘This really starts the process; there’s no turning back,’ I realized.”
But with Dr. Kaul’s help, Renaldo came to a realization. “We only can fear what we see in front of us, the surgery. Dr. Kaul detailed what I was looking at down the road, with and without the surgery. If I didn’t go through with it, the long-term implications are what I feared the most,” he says.
Dr. Kaul’s bedside manner was crucial in helping Renaldo feel more comfortable about his upcoming surgery. “He was calming, soft-spoken, and even though he’d seen hundreds of others, he didn’t make me feel like just another patient,” Renaldo says. “He spent a lot of time talking with me about my family and continually asking me if there was anything about the surgery I wanted to discuss. I trusted him with this significant task, and he exceeded my expectations from the very beginning.”
“Where Did Daddy’s Belly Go?”
As Renaldo began to lose weight, life changed in ways large and small. His clothes got smaller as he did. Prior to his procedure, he says “It was embarrassing to be falling out of my suit. At one point, in a business meeting, I had to use the restroom. I bent over and split my pants.”
He used to have to turn sideways to maneuver, but as the weight dropped off, he could walk straight down the aisles on the commuter train and through the subway turnstiles. He could sit on the couch and finally see his kneecaps. And he was free from public scrutiny. “All these looks I no longer got,” he says with relief.
A photo array of his progress shows his journey, at the end of which his young son was motivated to asked, “Where did daddy’s belly go?”
A Ferrari Kind of Life
Today, John Renaldo celebrates better health and his newfound “comfort and confidence.” Despite his 14-hour days of working and commuting, he walks the 28 city blocks to and from the train station. He is at his goal weight, 185 pounds, which he has steadily maintained. His doctors stopped his three blood pressure medications over time.
“At 36 years old, I’m able to do things with this body that I never thought existed,” Renaldo says. “How fast can I move, jump, run? I haven’t experienced these things since I was a child. I feel like I’m test driving a Ferrari.”
Andrea – Gastric Bypass*
Note: Individual results may vary.
“I had the gastric bypass 3 years ago and weighed 320 pounds. Today I am 176 pounds, and no longer have High blood pressure or diabetes I feel wonderful to be here and thank Dr Kaul, Janet and Mary for being there for me. Most of all I thank my best friend, my husband Richie, the love of my life! Dreams do come true!”
Andrea
Evelyn – Sleeve Gastrectomy*
Note: Individual results may vary.
In order to tell you the story of my surgery, I have to go back a couple of years so you understand how I came to my decision.
During a routine visit to my primary care physician in 2009, she mentioned to me about weight loss surgery. I listened patiently and after leaving, thought, who me? I would never have surgery to lose weight. I can do this by myself. Ha…Little did I know how hard it would be at this time of my life.
Going back, historically, I had lost 100 pounds when I was 23 and the weight stayed off through two pregnancies and I did not have a weight problem. Little did I know what Mother Nature had in store for me when I turned fifty-three years old. Mother Nature did a job on me and left me 6 years later obese, a worn out thyroid, knees that wobbled and hair starting to grey.
So after I left my doctor’s office in 2009, I attempted to lose weight but I seemed to hit a wall at all sides. So after losing about 20 pounds over six months, I fell off of the wagon and the weight came back plus a bit extra!
I returned to the doctor in 2010 for a checkup and was doing pretty good except for all the extra weight I was carrying. Again, my doctor talked to me about weight loss surgery and gave me a contact number for an informational meeting to learn what this was all about. I was still very skeptical as to actually having any surgery. Who in their right names wants surgery? Not me I said. However, with my husband in tow, we went to the weight loss seminar held at Putnam Hospital Center. We were greeted by Susana Dealmeida RN-BSN, who I later learned was the coordinator for the weight loss program. There were several people there and one of the doctors in the group that does this surgery gave a presentation on weight loss. He explained all the possible types of surgery available and what the requirements would be to be approved for this surgery. The medical group that he represented was “Surgical Intensivists, PC, with three surgeons. Dr. Thomas Cerabona, Dr. Ashutosh Kaul and Dr. Anthony Maffei. It was explained to those of us at this seminar that the medical group practices and does surgery at Westchester Medical Center and Putnam Hospital Center. I was very impressed with the seminar and went home to discuss this with my husband. Alas, I knew I had a lot of decision making to do regarding this surgery as it was a life style for how I would eat for the rest of my life. This decision took me one year to make. Finally almost one year later to the date of the seminar, I called and made an appointment and was scheduled for an office visit with Dr. Anthony Maffei.
I met with Dr. Maffei in August of 2011 and after my consultation with him, I knew I had made the right decision to have surgery. Dr. Maffei spent time answering my endless list of questions and explained all the requirements I needed to get done prior to surgery. I also learned that Dr. Maffei has just recently built a new home about two miles from where I grew up! We had a connection and a general sense of coming home to do the right thing for me was overwhelming.
Off I went and spent the next two months getting all the required medical approvals. Any time I had a question or needed to confirm that the doctors were forwarding the test results to Surgical Intensivists, I was greeted with pleasant and knowledgeable people from their office.
Also, for tests at Putnam Hospital and all training seminars prior to surgery, I was guided by Susana Dealmedia, RN-BSN, the coordinator of the program. My husband nicknamed her the ‘facilitator’! My entire tests were completed and I was scheduled for Surgery November 9, 2011. I was so excited and wanted the surgery to be over ASAP so I could begin my journey of losing weight.
Finally the day arrived and I signed in at Putnam Hospital Center. I was greeted by Nurse Susana and other staff prepped me for surgery. I met with Dr. Maffei prior to going into the operating room. His calm demeanor and a smile were my last memory before I went to anesthesia land.
It had been explained to me that there is always a second surgeon from the group assisting so I knew I was in the hands of not just one but two experts. Next thing I knew, I was done, awake and looking forward to getting up from the bed! I was a lady on the move and I was so excited that I had the surgery.
Dr. Maffei assured me that everything went well and to my surprise, told me that my gastric and internal anatomy was perfect! Nice to know I had ‘great’ insides! I was up later that evening and other than being tired, felt wonderful. I was not plagued by any gas pains and surgery pain was minimal where the instruments were inserted into my abdomen. Leakage tests were performed the following morning and I then spent the rest of the day, roaming the halls, visiting with Nurse Susana and my family. We all became great friends. Dr. Maffei kept a careful check on me and on the third day, signed my release papers. It was more than just signing papers, he gave me a new lifetime opportunity to lose weight and avoid weight related problems.
The Surgical Intensivists, PC, with three surgeons. Dr. Thomas Cerabona, Dr. Ashutosh Kaul and Dr. Anthony Maffei are an outstanding team of medical professionals. I could write many paragraphs about all the positives this medial group has. Rest assured, this group IS THE BEST AROUND. If someone is looking into weight loss surgery, this is the group that cares about the welfare of their patients, has years of experience and outstanding records of success.
It took me a year to decide, and I say to myself, ‘Why did I wait so long?”
Submitted by,
Evelyn Perrault
Pawling, NY
Sister Karen – Gastric Bypass*
Note: Individual results may vary.
A Body Transformed; A Soul Restored
Bariatric surgery transformed Sister Karen Cavanagh, both outside and inside. That’s because the change in her was more than skin deep; it was a victory over a childhood trauma that had plagued her most of her life.
For the 77-year-old nun who resides at a convent in Jamaica, New York, silence and food were her only comfort after being molested as an eight-year-old. Her weight quickly ballooned from that age, just like the weight of the world from the secret she kept until she was in her 40s. As she testifies, she ate to be able to endure the subterfuge. “I used food to stuff it down.
For decades since that tender age, weight issues defined her. At 4’8” tall, as she explains it, “I stopped growing one way and kept growing the other way.” At one point, when she was 14 years old, a doctor put her on speed (slang for amphetamines, a stimulant used in diet pills to suppress appetite). When she chose to enter the convent, she was required to lose at least 30 to 40 pounds in order to become a nun. “I could stop the weight gain,” she explains, “but it couldn’t stay stopped.” At one point, by age 30 she went from losing 100 pounds to gaining back 135 within five years.
Her list of health issues related to being overweight was a long one: circulatory problems, high blood pressure and rapid heartbeat, compromised mobility and a battle against diabetes. “I was very ill and in a lot of pain,” she laments, the result of which spurred her to cope with nine over-the-counter pain relief pills a day and two high blood pressure medications. This doesn’t take into account the distress and depression symptomatic of those who struggle with weight issues.
Yet Sister Karen persevered. “I was a school principal and a teacher. I did everything I had to do, but I realize now what it did to my body.”
Turning a Corner and Seeing the Light
When she was 63 years old, she saw a friend whose diabetes went into remission following bariatric surgery. She was amazed. Fourteen years ago, this phenomenon wasn’t as commonly recognized as it is today. She decided to explore bariatric surgery.
Particularly impressed by his credentials, Sister Karen chose Dr. Ashutosh Kaul of Advanced Surgeons, who performed gastric bypass surgery. She ultimately lost 140 pounds within 18 months following her surgery. “I couldn’t believe how it came off. I never gained back any weight,” she says. But she cautions it took work, and she still adheres to the discipline and techniques she learned from a book the practice provided, which she calls her “second bible.” This includes eating all her meals with a baby fork.
Hers is a life transformed. “Since I had this surgery I got my life back; I never knew beforehand the life I have today. I never knew the vibrancy and such energy. I live on a third-floor walkup, and I walk quite rapidly. Some of my friends can’t keep up.”
Her Heroes: A Surgeon and a Practice
Dr. Kaul did more than just perform Sister Karen’s surgery; he provided the necessary emotional comfort and support. She benefitted from this vital care while negotiating the universal challenges of weight loss. “He has such an understanding and compassionate manner. I think he has a reverence for people,” she explains of Dr. Kaul. “I call him my hero. I have him right up there with God.”
Everyone at Advanced Surgeons is exceptional, she testifies. “If I call, they are always more than welcoming, and Dr. Kaul always calls me back immediately.” It’s no wonder that when she needed gallbladder surgery some years later, Sister Karen chose Dr. Kaul yet again.
Today, Sister Karen remains quite active. She does all the baptism preparation and classes for parents, and works in her congregation as a medical insurance advocate for the many there with healthcare needs.
Giving Back
Sister Karen generously shares her time and her experience. She counsels others in bariatric surgery support groups. “There is no one who understands the experience like others who have gone through it,” she says. In addition, she relies on the support groups for herself as well. “They have certainly been a major influence in the success I have had. It’s worth it; it keeps me honest.”
Take Her Advice
Sister Karen summarizes her counsel to others. “My advice is to ask any questions. No question is foolish. And you can only be brave if you’re afraid. As for weight loss surgery, ‘It works if you work it’, is the advice I give.”
Of bariatric surgery she concludes, “It’s almost impossible to try to describe the transformation in the person.”
Her own life is the best example. “The biggest thing is that my life is so much freer.”
