Weighing The Risks: 'I'm Doing It So I Can Live'
For some people more than 100 pounds overweight, it's seen as a drastic but effective means of controlling weight.
For Sean and Danyel Hand, a young couple who are each more than 200 pounds overweight, it's a decision they considered carefully after "weighing the risks."
In Tacoma's Lobster Shop restaurant, a family gathers for what's literally a last supper. Sumptuous seafood appetizers including crab cakes, clams, and scallops -- it's a feast Sean and Danyel Hand will never forget. They will never eat like this again.
In just four days, Sean and Danyel will have weight-loss surgery that will give each a stomach the size of a large walnut.
"Either lose the weight or you're going to die," says Sean holding back the tears. "For us this is the answer to have a long quality of life," says Danyel.
Married two years, the Port Orchard couple is young. Sean is 25, 6 feet 4 inches, and weighs 475 pounds. Danyel is 24, 5 feet 6 inches, and weighs 380. Both have always been big.
Looking through a photo album with Danyel, Sean says, "That's 5th grade when I was taking karate. They used to call me 'tank.' That was my nickname then."
Danyel says, "I think the last time was 6th grade that I bought like normal size 'I can go shopping anywhere' kind of clothes."
Buying clothes is a big issue. For people as large as Sean and Danyel, clothing is much more expensive. Super large sizes like a 28 shirt for Danyel and a 6XL shirt for Sean are hard to find.
Sean showed off a pair of size 64 jeans that he wears. "My goal pant size actually is I'd like to get into a size 36 or 38 jeans. And I haven't worn those since the 6th grade," he said.
Folding his size 64 jeans nearly in half gives Sean a dramatic look at where he wants to be. "It's amazing," he says.
"There are categories like you're just slightly overweight, then there's obese, then morbidly obese, then more like super morbidly obese," says Danyel. "I guess there's this new category."
"We're a whole new category because we're way up there," says Sean.
For Sean, having this surgery is a matter of life and death. "I have Type 2 diabetes," says Sean. "I have an irregular heartbeat, enlarged heart, sleep apnea---the list goes on and on."
These are serious health issues related directly to weight Sean says he can't control without radical help. "Food for me -- I mean it's like another emotion. I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad. It doesn't matter."
And then there are the looks and the jokes. "If you stop and let it get to you, there's really no reason to go on," says Sean wiping away tears.
"Going on" for Sean and Danyel means getting the surgery. And it hasn't been easy.
"We could not get our insurance company to cover the surgery," says Sean. "It's considered cosmetic surgery to them. It's a direct exclusion. My family has been very supportive. It's come to the point where they've decided to mortgage their house so that we can pay for this."
The surgery costs about $30,000 each -- $60,000 total. It's a substantial out-of-pocket expense Sean's parents, Debra and Dennis, are paying willingly.
"They have to have the operation," says Dennis. "And the insurance wouldn't do it. So, we decided to do it."
"A house or the children?" says Debra. "The children come first."
Prior to surgery, Sean and Danyel attend a gastric bypass orientation at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way presented by Dr. Ki Oh, the bariatric surgeon who will do the operation on Sean and Danyel.
"Hi, everybody. My name is Kristiina and I'm Dr. Oh's patient advocate," says Kristiina Rauch who greets more than 40 people attending the orientation. About a third of the audience have either signed up for surgery or are considering it. The others in attendance are family members.
"Not only am I his patient advocate," says Rauch, "I'm also a gastric bypass success story." Kristiina had weight loss surgery more than a year ago from Dr. Oh. Before surgery, she weighed 231 pounds. Today, she weighs 100 pounds less.
"I started out at 350 pounds and I now weigh about 160 pounds," says Sherri Ochoa who now serves as Dr. Oh's office manager.
"I had my surgery a little over four months ago and I've lost just a little over 100 pounds," says Robert, another patient of Dr. Oh's. Robert gets some nervous laughter when he says, "The surgery by the way is absolutely painless. When you wake, however, there is a slight discomfort."
Following stories from his patients, Dr. Oh talks about the operation drawing diagrams on a white board, using a toy stomach as a prop, and answering questions.
He notes it is a major surgical procedure and that there are risks. And he reminds everyone in attendance that it is a life-changing procedure. Since food intake will be limited severely, patients will need to take vitamins and protein supplements the rest of their lives. Additionally, patients must give up sweets, dairy products, and alcohol.
Following the orientation, Danyel and Sean are more determined than ever. "My goal right now is 200," says Danyel. "Anything under that would be good."
"I'm not doing it for the looks," says Sean who is very emotional. "I'm doing it so I can live."
Our second part of this series will air and be posted Friday.
For More Information:
Dr. Ki Oh, gastric bypass surgeon -- www.othobethin.com
Obesity Help -- obesityhelp.com
Body Mass Index calculator -- obesityhelp.com.