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Dr. Classen said both the Roux-
en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery and sleeve
gastrectomy are effective in helping
patients lose weight and lead healthier
lifestyles.
"I can do surgery and put your
diabetes in remission," he said. "A lot
of people who've had diabetes leave the
hospital off their diabetes medicine."
Eligible patients are those with a
body mass index, or BMI, of between
35-40. Healthy BMIs fall between
19-25. Patients will undergo screenings
for underlying health issues and must
make lifestyle changes following
surgery.
"We're going to make you lose
weight," Dr. Classen said. "But it is still
up to you to make good food choices
and get on an exercise program that
works."
A native of Buffalo, New York,
Santillan had battled weight issues
much of her life. Her father had been a
stickler for making sure his large family
avoided junk foods and sugar. When
she le home for the Columbus College
of Art & Design in Ohio, she was
excited to enjoy all the forbidden sweets
she wanted.
"When I went to college, I went
crazy," she said. "It was like, Lucky
Charms for breakfast. Instead of the
freshman 15, I gained the freshman 30."
Santillan lost almost 100 pounds following a procedure known as sleeve gastrectomy,
in which the stomach is reduced to about 15 percent of its normal size.
After years of trying
a variety of diets,
exercise and even
medication, Santillan
found her solution
in Cape Fear Valley
Health's bariatric
surgery program.
PHOTO BY JAMIE SMITH
Editor's Note: Photographer Jamie
Smith died March 31 , 2020. She
was 40 and was a wife, mother and
artist, as well as a photographer.