Hi Barbara,
I wanted to write to you and give you my story. I hope that it inspires others.

My name is Annette Wappes and I have a new lease on life. Seriously, I'm soon to be 56 years old and I had my RNY surgery on May 19, 2003 at the Methodist Hospital in Merrillville, IN. My surgeon was Paul Stanish, MD. He's quite a guy! I can't say enough good things about the hospital staff and the surgeons and their staff. They were all wonderful!

I weighed 296 pounds and was as wide as I am tall. I wore a size 4x, which was getting too tight!!! I'm 5'3" on a good day and before surgery there just weren't any good days. I was diagnosed with diabetes 12 years ago and was on 14 different medications before my surgery. I was on diabetic pills plus insulin, two kinds of high blood pressure medicine, several kinds of pain medications, plus medication for diabetic neuropathy.

I couldn't walk far or stand for any length of time. My feet and legs were not only swollen but they were numb from the neuropathy. My knees were bad with arthritis, my hands were swollen and I suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome. Both hands were operated on twice. I also had arthritis. I used a cane to walk and rode in a electric cart whenever I went to Wal-mart or the grocery store, which wasn't often. I was too tired, sore and embarrassed to go anywhere.

I had already had a couple of heart attacks, and was on two kinds of heart medication, had gone through a heart catherization. I had to use a c-pap to keep breathing and had to sit up in bed because I felt like I was choking every time I lay down.  I had tried to commit suicide, was contemplating better ways to kill myself and was on 3 anti-depressants, plus medicine to sleep. 

I went to church, which was about the only thing I could do, even though I was depressed and embarrassed to let people see me as the beached whale I was. I lived with my married daughter and her family, since I couldn't take care of myself and was suicidal. I had to use devices to wash and dress myself as I couldn't get my hands under my stomach to wipe my bottom. How embarrassing is that???

I had a hysterectomy in 1988 and had always struggled with my weight before but after the hysterectomy I just couldn't do anything to keep the weight from ballooning. I was a single mom (still am), and was working almost 75 hours a week. I had a young grandson that I adopted when he was 4. He is 17 now and is the joy of my life.

I would go to work and listen to the women talk about all the "fat people" that worked at the shop and knew that if they were talking about one they were talking about me also. It got to the point that I tried to commit suicide and ended up in the hospital. This went on for 8 years.

I finally had enough. I was told by the Bariatric Treatment Centers that I wasn't a good candidate, because I was on Medicare and Social Security wouldn't pay for the surgery. How wrong they were! I finally talked my counselor into giving me some numbers to call to find out about the surgery and when I called Dr. Stanish’s office in Merrillville, Donna Kettle, who is the Bariatric Coordinator, called back and sent me a packet. That was last February. The packet contained a brochure for your wonderful book and I sent away for it as soon as I got the packet.  What can I say about your book? It was a life saver for me. Yes, it's my bible, and whenever someone borrows it I feel lost until I get it back.

Here it is 10 months later and I feel wonderful. I am down 130 pounds and 60 inches are gone forever! I feel 30 years younger. I have energy and can run rings around myself. I am going to college and there's no stopping me now. I am in a size 16 petite and they are getting too big. 

I sometimes meet myself coming and going, I am so busy. I volunteer at the church and sing in the community choir. I have a weight loss surgery support group here in Warsaw, because there wasn't one when I had my surgery. I took a dance class during January & February and had my first dinner dance on Valentines day, with a date!! I took off during spring break a few weeks ago and drove from Indiana to New Hampshire to visit my brother, by myself, over 1900 miles!!  I have people who have known me for years and see me every week in church who come up to me and tell me how they don't recognize me from one week to the next. They tell me how proud of me they are and how amazed that I had this transformation. A lot of them tell me how they were so afraid that I was going to die before I had the surgery.  So was I, however, I prayed to die, then. Now it's a different story. I am footloose and fancy free. I am just starting to live. I have a new lease on life and there's no holding me back. Look out world, here I come.

Thank you, Barbara for your wonderful book and newsletter. I don't know where I would be now if it wasn't for you and Merrillville.

Enclosed are some pictures. The first one is of the church choir (I'm the one in the front with the white top) taken just a few weeks before my surgery. The others are of me recently; the last one is of me in my 'drop dead' outfit that I wore for the Valentine Dinner Dance that was at the church. I can't tell you how much fun that was. People are still talking about what a hottie I was. Sizzle!!!!

Annette Wappes