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Surgeon: Dr. Gary Anthone, Los Angeles, CA
Surgery date: December 8, 1999
Pre-op weight/BMI: 310/50
Post-op weight: 145 (as of January 2001)

In Loving Memory of Kim H.
October 29, 1968 - April 26, 2002

Administrator note: Kim was a wonderful person, and this page remains as a tribute to her. Her death was unrelated to her very successful weight loss surgery journey. Kim’s family requested that the details of her passing remain private. Suffice to say that weight loss doesn’t cure everything that ails a person. Kim, your humor and warmth and intelligence are greatly missed in our community. You were a pioneer and a tireless advocate for the DS.

 
Left: Pre-op (310lb.) Tazumal Pyramid, Chalchuapa, El Salvador. My face is red because I climbed the pyramid in 110 degree heat!; Center: 2.5 mo. post-op (255lb.); Right: Kim and Peter, March ‘00

Before and after: Nine months post-op, down 115 pounds (with Wendy, also 9 mo. post-op)

by Kim H.:

I went on my first diet when I was seven years old. I went on my last diet when I was 30 years old. In the 23 years in between, I tried every possible method to lose weight -- low fat, low carbs, exercise, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, OA, drugs (both prescribed and illegal), self-starvation. And they all worked.

For a while.

But inevitably I'd gain the weight back, plus a few/twenty/fifty pounds. I yo-yo dieted to an all time high of 310 pounds. I wanted to hide. I wanted to die.

That's when an idea that had been planted a few months before began to blossom. What about surgery? I certainly qualified weight-wise, but I had so many misgivings. Like, what procedure to have? Which doctor to choose? Did I really want to do something so drastic to myself?

It didn't take long to answer the last question. I was so miserable that I thought, "Being dead would be preferable to this. This isn't living, it's slow dying!" So I began to research doctors and procedures.

I was fortunate enough to meet a woman named Jenny F. on the Internet who'd had surgery with Dr. Gary Anthone at USC University Hospital. She had wonderful things to say about him and her life since surgery. I decided to investigate him further, along with another surgeon who performed the RNY.

I researched the DS intensively. I talked to people who'd had surgery, in addition to surgeons all over the country. I read medical papers about the effectiveness of weight loss surgery and the pros and cons of each of the procedures. I joined the DS mailing list and asked a million questions.

Over time it became obvious to me that the DS was the best procedure being performed. Other people swear by the RNY, and that's fine -- everyone has to come to a decision about what will work best for them. For me, the long-term effectiveness coupled with the terrific quality of life with the DS made it an easy choice.

I had surgery on 12/8/99. It wasn't easy -- it's a major surgery, and it took a lot out of me. But as of this writing I'm four weeks and forty pounds post-op, and I feel better and more energetic every day. I don't regret this decision in the least - it's the best choice I've ever made for myself. In choosing the DS, I chose life.

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