“I Not Only Love How I Look, But Most Importantly, I Love How I Feel!”

Tricia Zayas, 49, of Sugar Loaf, NY, is a busy mother of three who is enjoying a healthy life. She is a slender size 4 and weighs 136 pounds, working as the front desk supervisor of a thriving medical practice.

Cary Hirsch, MD, Director of the Active International Cardiovascular Institute

A year ago, she was 100 pounds heavier and suffered from obesity problems including high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Like many people suffering from obesity, she had trouble doing some of the simple things of daily life. It was difficult for her to put her seatbelt on in her car and she felt squeezed sitting on an airplane. She had tried many diets and exercise, but nothing seemed to help. During her office visits with her cardiologist, Cary Hirsch, MD, Director of the Active International Cardiovascular Institute, he frequently advised her to lose weight. Her husband, Bobby, had weight loss surgery a year earlier and lost 100 pounds and was able to stop taking his heart medications. But she kept putting off the surgery until Dr. Hirsch urged her not to delay any longer since the extra weight was bad for her heart especially at her age.

GSH Bariatric Medical Director Ramon Rivera, MD

Tricia decided to pursue weight loss surgery at the Surgical Weight Loss Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital, a WMCHealth member, with Bariatric Medical Director Ramon Rivera, MD. Before her surgery, she met with the Bariatric Program’s dietitian and was able to completely change her eating habits. She learned how to substitute foods that she craved with healthier foods and cut down on junk food and sugar. Dr. Rivera performed robotic-assisted laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach to limit food intake and reduces hunger hormone production.

After her surgery, Tricia recovered in the hospital’s newly renovated Bariatric Suite where she felt pampered by the attention and expertise of the surgical nursing staff. The private rooms with ensuite bathrooms are ergonomically designed for accessibility, sensitivity and safety. Extra space is allotted in each room, doorway and hallway to allow for safe movement and transportation, and rooms are equipped with digital monitoring equipment and modern accommodations.

After a year, she lost 100 pounds and her medical issues improved. Now, she and her husband are always on the go with their active family, traveling and enjoying life! She sums up her experience in one sentence: “I not only love how I look, but most importantly, I love how I feel!”

Tricia Zayas lost 100 pounds with healthy eating and help from the Weight Loss Institute

Learn more about the Weight Loss Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital.