Green Bay, Wis. (WFRV) – Denise Miller made a pact to lead a healthier lifestyle.
“My mom passed away in 2004 and during her end stages of lung cancer, she made myself and my sister promise that we would lose the weight and get healthier,” Miller recalled.
Miller wouldn’t forget that promise to her mother, it would just take a little longer to fulfill than she had expected.
She knew the struggles of trying to lose weight on her own all too well. She entered her first weight-loss program when she was just 25 years old.
But her busy life as a mother and sign-language instructor, had gotten in the way ever since.
“Taking care of (my sons), taking care of a family, having a full-time job, not taking care of myself, pretty much was my M.O.,” said Miller.
By 2020, she was ready to look at another route; Bariatric surgery, medical procedures done to manage weight loss.
Miller was a candidate for gastric bypass surgery, and after a six-month preparatory weight-loss program, connected with Aurora BayCare and Dr. Daniel McKenna, a general and vascular surgeon there.
“Gastric bypass is where we divide the stomach and make it into a smaller pouch, and then essentially connect the intestine to it,” Dr. McKenna said. “So, the first thing that happens (to the patient) is that they just feel full quicker than they used to. The second thing is they’re just not hungry, so they’re not thinking about food in the same way that they used to,” he said.
In the time after her surgery, Miller eventually came off her blood-pressure meds, her diabetes was in remission, her sleep apnea gone.
But more than that, her life was changed.
“As far as myself, (I have) way more energy, I’m way more confident, not scared to be so self-conscious in front of people because the person that I was inside wasn’t showing through because of the body that I had on the outside. Now, I am that person,” said Miller.
Miller just finished a trip to France with her students, 120 pounds lighter than the last time she went.
She says she can now enjoy things like travel, and an active lifestyle, all thanks to the staff at Aurora BayCare, and a promise she made years ago.
“The wraparound care, the people that they have in place to help you through your journey are amazing. I feel proud. I’m happy that I was able to honor my mom’s request.”
You can visit Aurora BayCare’s website to take an online healthy weight assessment, and figure out which weight loss options might be right for you.
