MY STORY: Robert Lee

Robert Lee is a man who appreciates the value of tools.  He uses very large and powerful tools in his work as a mechanic at a very large industrial facility not far from his home in Starke, Florida.  When Robert first met the surgeon who would perform bariatric surgery for him, his doctor made it clear the procedure was a tool -- not a magic pill. 

“I will always remember what Dr. Sarantos told me when I had made up my mind to have weight loss surgery,” Robert Lee says.  “He told me he could give me a great tool to work with.  If I used it properly and worked with it, it could change my life.  I made up my mind that I would do whatever they told me to do, and it has really worked well for me.”

It was July 2008 when Dr. Pete Sarantos performed adjustable gastric banding for Robert Lee.  At his heaviest, Lee weighed 293 pounds.  In February 2010, Lee weighed 192 pounds.  After losing 101 pounds, he is nearly at his goal weight.  The significant weight loss has translated into improved health for Lee, who is now 52 years old.

“I had sleep apnea before, and now I do not.  I took medicine for high cholesterol, and now I do not.  I still take some medication for high blood pressure, but much less than I did before,” Lee explains.  “My goal is to get off all medicine for high blood pressure, and I believe that is possible.”

Robert’s wife, Robin Lee, has been by his side through the weight loss journey.  Her husband, she says, once came home each day from work utterly exhausted and too tired to do much of anything other than rest until bedtime.

“Robert’s job requires him to work with large and very heavy tools,” Robin says.  “On top of that, he had to carry himself, and all that weight literally wore him out.  It also was very hard on his joints.  Once, he was in a good deal of pain in his knees.  That is no longer the case.”

As he hears his wife talk about the pain he once felt in his knees, Robert nods his head and remembers how his excess weight affected one of his favorite hobbies. “My friends and I love to hunt,” Robert says.  “A couple of years ago, I would have to tell my friends to go on without me, and I would just wait at the truck.  I was too tired, and my legs hurt too much.”

More than 100 pounds lighter, Robert has plenty of energy again and says he feels like a new man.  Although his decision to have weight loss surgery was a choice he made because he wanted his health back, his wife also points out another result of the procedure.

“Robert looks like he did when we first got married 35 years ago,” Robin says.
The couple say they believe Robert’s decision and his success will give them a chance for many more years together in a lifestyle that is active and healthy.

“Actually, I wish I had done the surgery 10 years ago,” Robert says.  “I feel so much better now.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one third of all Americans are obese.  Brenda Bagan is well aware of those startling statistics because she was included in those numbers.  At her heaviest, Brenda weighed 308 pounds.  She was tired of the way she felt, and she was afraid of what her weight would do to her health and her life.  After talking with her husband, Brenda’s search for an answer brought her to North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC), home to a program that is recognized as a Bariatric Center of Excellence.

“My surgery was in late April 2007, and I have never looked back,” Brenda says.  “I have nearly reached my goal weight and will not stop until I get there.”

By the end of 2009, Brenda’s weight was down to 122 pounds.  She says she has been successful because she carefully followed the guidance of medical staff at the Obesity Center for Surgery & Treatment at NFRMC about what, when and how often she ate.  She added diet into her daily routine and has been extremely committed to that.

“Exercise is now part of who I am,” Brenda says.  “It is not a chore to me.  I actually enjoy it, and it makes me feel good.”

Brenda shares a home with her husband in Lake City and says her weight loss has made it much easier for her to do her work as a correctional officer.  Her work requires her to move around a great deal, and she is now very capable of doing that with ease.

Nearly two years after her surgery, talking about her success is still emotional for Brenda.  Looking at photographs of her more than two years ago brings tears to her eyes, but they are tears of joy – not tears of sadness.  She is grateful for the major change in her life and what it means, and she is very aware that thousands of other people are out there and wish they could experience the same.

“When I get a chance to talk to other people who are where I once was, I encourage them,” Brenda says.  “It is a chance to give back and help someone else who needs to hear the same kind of encouragement I got to help me get where I am today.”