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Patient Stories

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Getting Off the Weight Cycle

“I would probably be dieting all the way into my 60s and be truly miserable as health condition after health condition started to mount. Now I take nothing but a single allergy pill each day, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Richard Episcopo is the first to admit that he was never a skinny person. He struggled with his weight all through his school ...
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Dynamic Duo: Mother and Daughter Bariatric Surgery Success

“I just wish I would have done this surgery 15 years earlier, but I don’t look back. It’s a journey, not a race.”
Kaitlyn Stiefel, an operating room nurse at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset , used to end her workdays ...
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Wife's Nudge Leads Man to Weight Loss and a New Life

"When my oldest daughter gives me a hug, she likes to tell me how she can wrap her arms around all the way and make her hands touch."
If not for his wife, Ken Lutin might still be tipping the scales at 371 pounds. Now 153 pounds lighter after surgery at the ...
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A Tale of Two Weight Loss Surgeries

"The weight came off quickly ... people can't get over the change"
About 10 years ago, Chris Zieniewicz, 59, was struggling with severe back pain. The former forklift operator from South River ...
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An Astounding Recovery

“Dr. Jaronczyk checked on me the entire time. I would give him the Surgeon of the Year Award.”
Virginia Cullen, 62, a receptionist at a doctor’s office, wanted to lose weight, so she had gastric bypass surgery in 2006. ...
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Finding Fitness after Bariatric Surgery: Jacqueline’s Story

"Surgery was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Jacqueline Rettschlag, 44, of Kearny, was a stay-at-home mother of three who had reached 400 pounds when she decided to have ...
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Finding Fitness after Bariatric Surgery: Joaly's Story

"I can ride my bike like when I was a kid"
Prior to her bariatric (weight loss) surgery, Joaly Sanes, 53, of Belleville, weighed 225 pounds and was often asked by slender ...
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Finding Fitness After Bariatric Surgery: Jenifer's Story

"I have four daughters and we make exercise a fun, competitive activity."
Jenifer Felix, 44, of Bloomfield, weighed 197 pounds when she opted for bariatric surgery. A single mother of four, Jenifer ...
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Finding Fitness After Bariatric Surgery: One Couple's Story

“I can run up the stairs now without losing my breath—which is important for a police officer”
Crunches and Push-Ups Marissa and Thomas Patti of Belleville gained weight together during their marriage and lost it together ...
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