Battling high blood pressure and immobility, Arlene knew she had to lose weight. With more than 40 years of combined experience, she turned to our surgical weight loss providers for gastric bypass to jump start her journey to improved health. Listen to her story.

At my heaviest, I weighed 420 pounds with a 66-inch waist and wore a size 6XL shirt. Walking up a single flight of stairs took every ounce of energy I had while walking across the street felt as though I had run a marathon. I couldn’t even fit in a regular chair. Flash forward nearly 10 years and I am 275 pounds lighter! I proudly shop off the rack for 32-inch waist pants and small shirts. And I don’t just walk up the stairs now, I sprint! Bariatric surgery and the determination to keep the weight off has given me a new lease on life.

What follows is a patient story that illustrates how our typical interaction with a patient, social service agencies, and the community, as a whole, yields obvious value for the patient and for our health care system. Just like this case, we are able to decrease human suffering, expensive hospitalization, and the use of emergency services. In 2008, a local community agency called our team about a new client. The person, Sonia, was an 89-year-old retired secretary with no family. A retiree of modest means, she had stopped her weekly visits to her bank. Worried bank representatives found that she had fallen and was not feeling well. ...

Cara Scharf majored in English in college, so she's always been good with words. But right after graduation, she discovered she would have to deal with four letters: BRCA. Cara was just 22 when she tested found out she was BRCA 1+ positive. It wasn't a complete surprise—her mother died of breast cancer when Cara was three, and her grandmother died of ovarian cancer. But Cara says she had never really thought about getting cancer herself. Then, in March 2011, she had a biopsy which showed malignancy in her right breast: Invasive ductal carcinoma. Cara wrote in a blog she started for family and friends, "This was not supposed to ...

Making the decision to have Gastric Bypass Surgery in 2016 was one of the toughest, but best decisions I have made in my life. At my heaviest I was 340+ pounds and I felt defeated, ashamed, lonely, and depressed. Anytime I would walk past a mirror I would just want to cry and hide. Now almost two years later I feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life. I can climb a flight (or four) of stairs without feeling like I’ll pass out. I no longer dread going for a brisk walk or morning jog. I thought the journey would be tough since I am a picky eater but here I am, down 180 pounds and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I would ...

Brenda talks about her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer on the GW Mammovan. The vehicle, which makes early detection for breast cancer accessible to underserved women across the city, is outfitted with 3D mammography technology, the most comprehensive mammography system available; a spacious setting for patients; and two individual changing rooms and private waiting areas. This video played at the GW Blush Lunch event in support of the GW Mammovan.