Kim's Story

Kim Burdette’s weight first became a problem when she struggled to lose the weight she put on during her first pregnancy. When her son was just 17 months old, her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness. “My whole life seemed to spiral out of control,” Kim says. “Food became my comfort, it became my ‘drug’ of choice.”

Bad habits took over until she finally hit bottom a little over one year ago. She found herself at 47 years old, weighing in at 326 lbs. and suffering from diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and depression. “The amount of medication I was taking just to manage my conditions was mind blowing,” she says. She took two oral diabetes medications twice daily, two blood pressure medications twice daily, short acting insulin before meals and long acting insulin before bed and in the mornings. “I felt terrible, I looked terrible and my outlook on life matched! I knew deep down in my heart that if I did not make some drastic changes in my life that I was going to die,” Kim says.

As a St. Francis employee, Kim heard about the development of the Surgical Weight Loss Program at work. “I knew that this program was going to save my life,” Kim says. “I watched and I listened. I learned of the expertise and dedication of the program staff, and I knew that this was it....my road to a new life!”

She began researching weight loss surgery online and read all that she could find on the subject. She talked with those who had undergone the surgery, then was ready to attend a St. Francis Surgical Weight Loss seminar. She knew that this was going to be a lifelong commitment, but she was ready. Finally, on April 19, 2010, she had gastric bypass surgery and “my new life began” she says.

As of today, Kim has lost 130 lbs. and the only “medication” she takes are vitamins. “All of my co-morbidities are resolved,” Kim says. “I am happier and healthier than I have been since my 20s. I am able to enjoy life again thanks to the St. Francis Surgical Weight Loss Program!”

Kim shares with those who are considering weight loss surgery, “This journey does not end with the surgery. It doesn’t even end with your attained weight loss goal. This journey is ongoing, with all of its ups and downs. This journey is about the long term commitment to health and well being, and it is made easier by the continued support of the Surgical Weight Loss staff, the support groups and the other patients.”

“My journey to obesity may have been a lonely journey, but my journey to wellness is filled with people from the St. Francis Surgical Weight Loss team cheering me on, supporting me, and encouraging me into my new life.....a happy healthy life!”