Man Sheds 300 Pounds to Get Obesity Surgery
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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