Man Sheds 300 Pounds to Get Obesity Surgery
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Ralph Gerard, 42, used to be so obese that the staff of Bellflower General Hospital’s Center for the Surgical Treatment of Obesity refused to admit him as a patient. But six months later, the Las Vegas man has shed 300 pounds thanks to a liquid-only diet, become eligible for surgery, and is to be taken by van to the Bellflower facility today to undergo a procedure that could reduce his weight by 80 pounds to 520.
The former casino janitor is to undergo a six-hour “Fobi Pouch” operation Wednesday, in which a surgeon is to remove some 80 pounds of excess skin and fatty tissue and perform a gastric bypass to limit his future food intake. The obesity center has served about 5,000 people in its 17-year history.
“When I first heard about Ralph, I didn’t think we could help him,” said Dr. Mal Fobi. “But he is very determined.”
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