Amy's Blog

Prayers for Donna

   She's one special woman. Donna Marmen.  If her name doesn't ring a bell, maybe her picture and story will. Donna is one of our featured heart spokeswomen. You can read her story or hear it directly from her in our interview featured on this site. I was impressed with Donna when I first met her last winter. What an upbeat, energetic woman. Well, today she is undergoing gastric bypass surgery at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro!  She shared her plans to do this with me at the go red heart luncheon back in February but didn't realize it would happen quite this fast.  Donna has struggled with her weight and felt like this was the best procedure for her to get the results she so desires.  In a recent e-mail she wrote that excessive weight has not only affected her, but her entire family.  She said she used to go for walks and bike rides with her kids and husband, but because of the weight, her knees hurt. Donna also shared with me that she hated having her picture taken, and that, too, really cheated her family of those "kodak" moments.

   It's well established that weight loss can lead to much improved health, but taking a dramatic step like surgery to lose those pounds is definitely a decision that requires serious consideration and consultations with a team of medical professionals.  I know this from doing a series of reports when I worked at Newschannel 5. We followed a young woman who went through gastric bypass surgery before, during and after the surgery. It is a total lifestyle change and not for everyone.  This topic is covered in the recent Saint Thomas Health Services newsletter that just came out in the mail. In that article, the question is raised, is losing weight worth the risks associated with surgery?  Here's the latest research.

     A study by the National Institutes of Health found that ten to fifteen years after having weight loss surgery, obese patients were less likely to develop, and more likely to recover from diabetes and other heart disease risk factors.    Weight loss surgery appears to improve the body's ability to control blood sugar levels. It may even reverse type 2 diabetes.  By helping you lose weight, it may also lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

      I'm certainly not advocating any specific procedure, but letting you all know the potential benefits of weight loss as it relates to heart disease and other health problems. 

     Please send good thoughts Donna's way today as she begins this journey to what I hope will be a much more active and adventurous life for Donna. 

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