Fighting For Her Life — and Winning!
Patty Bardonaro had been thinking about weight loss surgery for years. But it was the birth of her granddaughter, a micro-preemie weighing less than two pounds, that spurred her to act. “Kaylee spent two and a half months in Good Samaritan’s NICU literally fighting for every breath. Watching her made me realize I needed to fight for my own life if I wanted to be around for her.”
Before Kaylee came home, Patty had already met with George Kerlakian MD. Because her insurance company wanted her on a supervised diet for 12 months, Patty had to wait a year for the surgery she so badly wanted.
In May 2009, 60 pounds lighter thanks to the diet, Patty finally had bariatric surgery. “At first it was hard to stay motivated. Then I learned the lesson I had been hearing over and over—we should eat to live, not live to eat."
Six months post-surgery, and another 70 pounds lighter, Patty realizes she didn’t need all the food she used to eat. “I always ate when I was down, and I loved sweets. But my body didn’t need it.” In addition to eating less food, Patty also eats smarter, substituting healthier ingredients whenever possible. Her Thanksgiving stuffing included whole grain bread, low-fat margarine and fat-free chicken broth.
She is happy to have more energy now, “and I don’t hurt as much. Less weight on my joints makes it so much easier to move around.” She needs the energy to keep up with Kaylee, now 20 months old. “When I agreed to the surgery, I said I wanted to be able to play soccer someday with Kaylee instead of sitting on the porch watching her.” Mission accomplished!