Testimonial
As many obese people will tell you, I have been overweight all my life. This has always been a struggle for me. I have always been an out-going person, but my weight always held me back from being the true person I was inside.

My husband, Art was also overweight. His stepmother had weight loss surgery back in the 70's. She was not able to keep her weight off. A few years ago she had the revision at a hospital in Nashville. I still remember the night before her surgery she called to ask us to remember her in our prayers. This was the beginning of December. She did not do very well at all during the surgery. This was of course a revision, and this only escalated her risk factors. She was in the hospital for several months, and almost died 3 times. Dr. Husted was called in to consult. He saved her life. She is around 150 pounds now and looks fantastic. Although, needless to say, I was very skeptical about this surgery.

My husband and I had the same endocrinologist. Art came home one afternoon from a visit with her, and she had advised him to have weight loss surgery. I was shocked to say the least that a doctor would tell you to have this surgery. I didn't believe Art, thinking that he felt totally at a loss as what to do about his weight loss. At the time he was around 470, and still gaining. I went to visit Dr. Julie Hendrix a few weeks later. I point blank asked her if she had suggested that Art have this surgery. She pulled her chair up close to me, looked me directly in the eye, and she said, this surgery is absolutely essential, not only for Art, but also for you. It is absolutely critical that Art have it, because he won't be here to see his 40th birthday without it. I was left feeling terrified of what our future held. Not to mention, my son being left without his father and potentially me.

I decided after hearing Dr. Husted's name come up from several different people to seek out his help. After going with my mother-in-law to one of his seminars, I left totally believing we had to have this surgery. We made an appointment to see Dr. Husted. We were so amazed by his office. We were so happy to see the welcome arms they have for each patient. We were not made to feel isolated in the population, but felt he and his staff had nothing but compassion for us.

Unlike many patients, our insurance approved us immediately. Art had his surgery on February 4, 2002, and I had mine on August 12, 2002. Art weighed in at 497 lbs. on the day of his surgery. As of July 2, 2003, he has lost 205 lbs. I weighed in at 361 lbs. and as of July 2, 2003, I have lost 135 lbs. Our lives have changed completely. We are able to do so much more that we ever felt possible. We have become these two new human beings that felt totally trapped inside these two huge bodies struggling to get out.

It is amazing when people don't recognize you. These same people that have known us for most of our lives pass us by and don't even recognize us. We literally have to go up to them and tell them who we are. We love the favorite line most people always ask, "do you feel better?" This is always a quiet comical statement to us. We of course smile and say yes. Then we leave and Art and I will look at each other laughing, wanting to say nooooooo,,,, we loved carrying around in excess of 300 lbs together.

We thank God every day for leading us to Dr. Husted and Jaime and their staff. I wonder if they will ever know how many lives they have saved? It is such an inspiration to be able to know God has his hands all over them. They have so much to offer, and God has given them a skill that touches us in so many ways. The love they have for all of us is so emotional for me. I just love them. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for allowing my son to be able to have two normal healthy parents who adore him and want to be able to give him all who we have become.

This surgery isn't for everyone. For me, and my husband this was our only alternative. We chose life over slowly but surely dying. This is something we can only thank God for every day of our life. We had a disease, and by the grace of God, Dr. Husted supplied a very valuable tool for the cure.

Thank you so much Dr. Husted and staff for giving us your love and devotion and for saving our lives. For that, we can never repay you.