Dignity Health | St. Rose Dominican | Reach | Winter 2020

6 StRoseHospitals.org Losing weight is more than cosmetic. It can have a profound, positive effect on a person’s health, confidence, and ability to participate in life. 3 lives changed with weight-loss surgery Losing weight with dignity Not sure of your BMI? Use the online calculator at StRoseHospitals.org/weightloss to find out where you stand. 44 and ready for more Donna Hatch had many weight-related health problems. Her heart was enlarged. She had high blood pressure, asthma, and sleep apnea. And she was on the cusp of developing type 2 diabetes. Still, the 44-year-old respiratory therapist says she was in denial about how unhealthy she was. “I thought I was normal,” she says. But that changed when she became seriously ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized in March 2018. “I was so sick, I almost died,” Donna says. And that shook her up. She wanted to get healthy for her family—and herself. Donna had tried other diets through the years, but this time, she turned to the Weight Loss Surgery Mustafa Ahmed, MD Donna Hatch, Brandon Green, and Vanessa Sandoval know that firsthand. With the help of the caring providers at the Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Rose Dominican, they’ve seen their lives transformed by dramatic weight loss. But there’s much more to each of their stories than the numbers on the scale. Center. She knew surgery would mean significant lifestyle changes, but she was ready. Working closely with a surgeon and a dietitian, she prepared for her procedure, which took place in December 2018. Since then, she’s lost 108 pounds. “I’m healthy now,” she says brightly. “My energy level is substantially higher. I’m happier all the time. In the past, I’d walk into a room and know I’m the biggest one in there, and I’d really feel that. But nowmy confidence is up.” Her family is very supportive of her, too. They all work together to find new recipes and cook healthy food together. “Overall, I’mmore involved in my children’s lives than I was before,” she says. “It’s changed things for my whole family.” Donna says she was thrilled with her surgeon, Mustafa Ahmed, MD. “And now I’m thrilled with my life, too. I know it sounds so cliché, but my only regret is that I didn’t do it 10 years earlier.” “My energy level is substantially higher.” —Donna Hatch