Saturday, September 29, 2007 9:26 PM CDT

STAFF WRITER

Kaye Johnson walked three miles on Saturday.

She began taking steps to cross that finish line 14 months ago.

A little over a year ago, Johnson underwent gastric bypass surgery - a procedure that shrinks the stomach size in order to assist weight loss.

Yesterday, she celebrated her journey to a healthier life by participating in Bon Secours Surgical Weight Loss Center's Walk From Obesity.

"I wanted to walk today because this is a milestone for me," Johnson said. "This was just another leg in my journey."

Johnson's story is like those of many in today's society.

"I've been big all of my life," she said. "I was a chubby child."

But, she decided she needed help with her weight after caring for family members struggling with cardiovascular disease. Johnson is married with six children and works as a mental health support counselor for Western Tidewater Community Services Board.

"I saw what that did to my family and the role we had to play to care for them...I didn't want to go out like that," she said.

She began her program with the Surgical Weight Loss Center, located off Harbour View Boulevard.

The center has a team approach to surgical weight loss. The actual surgery is just one fraction of the weight loss program,

"Surgery is one component," Dr. David Spencer, medical director, Bon Secours Surgical Weight Loss Center. "It's an incredible tool if you use it right." Spencer said surgery works in conjunction with the staff nutritionist and psychological support to help patients maintain the weight loss through better diet and health choices.

"My life has been changed dramatically," Johnson said. She said that thanks to the staff at the center, she eats healthier, drinks more water and even cooks healthier for holiday meals with her family.

"(The surgery) is a tool, it's not a fix-all," she said. "It's not a band-aid, it's a lifestyle change."

She added that when you follow the directions given through the center, the results speak for themselves.

"It is amazing," she said. "I have seen people's lives transformed. My life has been transformed. Johnson said post surgery she has no blood pressure medications, even though she had hypertension problems since she was 18, no cholesterol problems and her energy is "through the roof."

It is those type successes that Dr. Spencer enjoys.

He said one of the epidemics facing the country today is diabetes. He estimated that in 90 percent of the cases, weight causes the disease. After surgery, the majority of diabetes cases "disappear."

"People's medical problems go away, their personalities change ... it's pretty gratifying to be a part of," he said.

Surgeons at the center annually perform approximately 300 gastric bypass surgeries a year, according to a Bon Secours press release. Ninety-eight percent of those surgeries are laparoscopic, meaning a shorter recovery time for patients.

The center was named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation of the American Society For Bariatric Surgery earlier this year.

It is the highest rating available.

For Johnson, the best success has been the simple pleasures of her new life.

"You can go and shop," she said, " and you don't have to pay extra for more material ... even your feet shrink! I had to get my eyeglasses adjusted."

When she finished the three mile walk with many of her program counterparts, it was a sweet fulfillment of her work all along.

"I intend to live a long life and enjoy my husband and my family and I am grateful."