"My weight is 196 on Sunday 07/17/05 ...I have made my goal !!"

The Lap-Band®

Adjustable Gastric

Banding System

Before 458 pounds 03/2003

Just plain-o Big Bob 09/2000 unknown weight. 396 pounds 03/2003

500+?

250 pounds 11/2004 196 pounds 07/17/05

Hi, I am Don Robert Allison, I was morbitly obese.

Dec. 2002, I was 49 years old, with weight onset type-2 diabetes taking Glucavance, enlarged heart, hypertention, extreme bad knees, feet hurt all the time, serve sleep apnea. I had ballooned up to 430+lbs. (I did not want to admit the "+").

My wonderful wife of 30 years and I went to shop for the grandchildren's Christmas at K-Mart where we had parked near the front entrance, I waddled from our van to the front door and I was out of breath, I knew I had to go ahead to help with both the shopping and keeping the budget under control.. There was a handicapped motor run-about. I swallowed by pride, and proceeded to shop with my wife. I felt about 3 feet tall, old and just ashamed. How could I have gotten this way?

That night there was a story on TV about "Al Roker's Surgery" which was just published and was the talk of the land. He had a gastric bypass operation at Lenox Hill Hospital that was preformed by Dr. Marina Kurian.

So, I made and appointment for a physical with my family doctor, who over the years had advised me to control my weight. He had watched as I tried every thing from Akins to weight watchers. The morning of my physical I had called my father and told him of the doctor's visit at 11;00am that day. Of course the issue of weight came up, and he point said why don't you do like his minister of music has done, stomach surgery. Wow I had already thought about it, but hadn't told anyone.

I kept the doctor's appointment and while talking to Dr. Todd Wien, he too mentioned stomach surgery. This was a sign. I asked him for a recommendation and Dr. Stephen Hamn was one of 3 referrals that he gave me. Dr. Hamn was the life saver who introduced me to this life saving procedure.

I was so unhappy about the way I looked and felt. I knew that I was minutes away from a heart attack or a stroke waiting to happen. It wasn't "if", it was "when".