In 2017, my dad and I both made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery. At 24 years old I was at my heaviest weight of over 300 pounds, and at age 48, dad weighed almost 400 pounds. Dad visited Dr. Sanborn and began his surgery preparation, and I scheduled my consultation with Dr. Cronk.
As I was waiting for my appointment date, I thought about cancelling multiple times. I was afraid of the thought of having surgery, but I was even more afraid of acknowledging to myself — as well as others — that I had a serious problem. I had been considered morbidly obese my entire life, and I had spent much of that time pretending that being obese did not bother me. However, as I was sitting in the exam room waiting to see Dr. Cronk, I realized that I had to be honest with myself and acknowledge that I needed help. After meeting with him, I felt complete peace about my decision to have gastric bypass surgery, and I trusted Dr. Cronk and his team to guide me along the way.
After many months of insurance clearance and preparation, seminars on what life would be like after bariatric surgery, and what seemed to be the longest night of my life prior to the morning of my surgery, Dr. Cronk gave me one of the greatest blessings of my life by performing my surgery.
Having gastric bypass surgery has served as a tool to help both my dad and myself completely change our lives.
Not only am I able to fit into clothes twenty-six sizes smaller than I originally wore, but I have confidence that I have never known. We are both more active than ever before and feel that our lives are no longer controlled by our weight. Maintaining our results is a daily challenge, but one that we are both wholly committed to. Making the decision to have gastric bypass surgery is not something to be taken lightly, but it is a decision that both my dad and I would make over and over again. We are forever grateful to Dr. Sanborn, Dr. Cronk, and their entire staff for helping bring about the greatest change of our lives.
