LAP-BAND® Weight Loss Surgery

Patient Stories

Taffy Before

Taffy After

Lost 70 Pounds (So Far!)
If you saw Taffy Hawley last year and you went to her house today – you’d probably ask “Where’s Taffy?”  That’s because Taffy is 70 lbs lighter and she looks 20 years younger. And if you’re wondering – yes, Taffy is the name on her birth certificate. She is almost unrecognizable from the few “before” pictures she has. Taffy doesn’t have a lot of pictures from her pre-weight loss days to show people. “When you’re that fat you learn to avoid cameras. If I saw pictures, or evidence, I’d shred them.”

 The 5 foot 5” blonde who once considered pictures of herself as “evidence” and described herself as a beach ball looks like vibrant and happy. 43 year old Taffy Hawley had Lap Band surgery with Dr. Bryan Anderson, the Director of the Saint Alphonsus Bariatric Program. The surgery was 6 months ago.

“Last spring about a year ago I wasn’t sleeping well. I was having terrible headaches and the doctor suggested I have a sleep study. I knew that when I slept on my back I had difficulty breathing. After the study I found out that I definitely had sleep apnea and it was pretty bad. I thought to myself this is just another nail in my coffin. I’d already been diagnosed with high blood pressure and I’d never had that before. I had joint pain. Everything was just going south for me.” Those cumulative health issues, the feeling of falling apart, was Taffy’s aha moment. That’s when she realized it was time to do something.

“I knew it was a big giant step to take. I went and saw Dr. Anderson’s seminar and I decided that night that I was going to do it. I knew there were a lot of steps to take before the surgery but I was gung ho.”

Taffy is quick to tell you that she still has 45 lbs to go before she reaches her goal but she is amazed at how her life has improved. She’s off all her medications but one. The depression she lived with daily is gone.

 How bad was it before her lap band surgery? Taffy recalls the days when going on a cruise was scary. She felt hot and sweaty and miserable. Worse yet, the long flights from Boise to a port city like Miami were agonizing. “I remember getting on the plane thinking Oh God I hope I can get the seat belt to close. That’s horrifying to have to ask for a seatbelt extender. I certainly know the feeling of fear being on a plane but it’s about hoping you’ll get an aisle seat so you’ll have more room.”

Taffy has also realized how important it is to find the right doctor when making the decision to have weight loss surgery. She had heard glowing reports about Dr. Anderson and when she met him she knew he was right. Taffy says Dr. Anderson was not only highly skilled but also really noticed her. Dr. Anderson noticed the little things before and after the surgery. Taffy says he made her feel well taken care of and cared about.

Another first for Taffy is shopping in the regular area of the department stores instead of heading to the Plus Size department. “Sometimes I’ll catch myself in a reflection and I’ll think “Wow, I really have shrunk.”  I’m looking forward to things that once I avoided doing. If you’re really overweight you realize all the extra things that are scary and uncomfortable to do. I have 45 more pounds before I reach my goal weight but it’s the best thing I ever did!”

View a video about former Lap-Band Surgery Patients

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