The Daily Times

She slipped on a violet silk cocktail dress and black pumps with straps that climbed her ankles. A black chiffon wrap lightly blanketed her shoulders, and her hair and makeup were done to perfection. It was time to strut down the runway.

Rachel Hughes walked hand-in-hand with her 8-year-old daughter down the catwalk. With 210 pounds out of her life, she is experiencing many new joys of life, including the shoes she wore in the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center Bariatric Fashion Show on Thursday night. “I’ve never been able to wear high heels before,” Hughes explained, as she remembered how uncomfortable they were when she weighed much more.

And shopping is a new experience for Hughes, as well. From a size 36 to a size 12 in her pants, and a 5X to a large in her shirts, she has many more options �" like her violet silk dress. Her daughter, Becca Hughes, was excited about both she and her mother’s dresses, as well as participating in her first fashion show.

Hughes, a gastric bypass surgery patient, was one of 38 models in the fashion show, hosted annually by the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center, Foothills Weight Loss Specialists and Ethicon Endo-Surgery. The event celebrates eight years of bariatric surgery for the center, and more than 75,000 pounds lost through gastric bypass, band and sleeve surgeries. The models shared their weight loss surgery success stories, and showed off their new looks.

The event also included salutes to Blount Memorial bariatric surgeons Dr. Jonathan Ray and Dr. Mark Colquitt for their service to hundreds of people.

Like Hughes, many of the patients eliminated many health problems from their lives �" some including diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Hughes was relieved that her blood pressure had normalized, and said she also is enjoying many other aspects of life now more than ever. “My energy level has gone through the roof,” Hughes said. “I’m enjoying the new confidence I have in myself and all of the things I can do that I couldn’t do before. I can do anything I want now.” Hughes said she also is appreciative of the community of others who are in her shoes, and as a patient ambassador, she said it’s “uplifting to watch the other patients on their journeys.”

The 38 patients at the event had a combined weight loss of more than 4,500 pounds. They each told their stories and thanked the doctors and staffs of the Weight Management Center and Foothills Weight Loss Specialists for their help and support. “I love these people more than words can say,” weight loss surgery patient Allison Arnold told the crowd. Arnold, who was the third patient to have bariatric surgery through the Weight Management Center, reminded the newer patients that they will see ups and downs, but “do not give up.”

Gastric bypass patient Brenda Cornwell-Suppus lost 110 pounds from her surgery that was in December, 2005. “I’ve kept my weight off for five years,” she told the crowd. She told the room full of patients, family, friends, community members and possible future patients to, “keep your goal in mind.” She also encouraged other patients to stay involved in a support group.

Blount Memorial Weight Management Center bariatric coordinator and certified bariatric nurse Dana Bradley said the support groups and free weight loss surgery seminars are the best way to learn about bariatric surgery through current patients. “Those who think this could be an option for them need to hear from other patients how it changes their lives.”

Colquitt said the seminars and talking to patients at support groups also are the best ways to learn about the options in bariatric surgery. His advice is to “keep your mind open, and get the information from the right sources. Find out about the different options, and make an informed opinion about what you want to do.”

Colquitt said he enjoys seeing the camaraderie of the weight loss surgery patients every year at the fashion show. He said the surgeons only play a small part in fueling the change in the beginning, and the patients’ progress begins to mushroom. “I’m just happy I get to be a part of it,” Colquitt said.

For more information about bariatric surgery, upcoming seminars and support groups, call the Blount Memorial Weight Management Center and 865-977-4673.

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