As a nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic in Florida, Angela Irizarry fully understands the health risks associated with excess weight, including the risk for diabetes and heart attack.

But those reasons weren't why she decided to make a change in her own life.

Angela had severe acid reflux and was tired of being in constant discomfort. She knew it was time to do something different.

Her positive experience working with patients in Mayo's weight management program led her to explore options for herself. She met with Dr. Fernando Elli a Mayo Clinic bariatric surgeon, who helped her confirm that weight-loss surgery was the right decision for her.

Starting the bariatric surgery journey

Like all people who choose weight-loss surgery at Mayo, Angela participated in a presurgical wellness program to build lifestyle skills she could use before and after surgery. She spent a lot of time working with the program coordinators, who helped her feel confident in her decision.

"The team walked me through each and every step," Angela says. "They know what you're experiencing, and they will help you through this journey in a really compassionate way."  

Once the surgery was completed, Angela lost weight, but she also experienced a bonus benefit — her acid reflux went away. Today, she no longer has acid reflux or takes medications for it.

Solid results

The amazing results Angela experienced from her bariatric surgery journey at Mayo motivated her husband, Dr. Joan Irizarry Alvarado, a Mayo Clinic internal medicine physician, to think about weight-loss surgery for himself.

According to Dr. Elli, it is common for couples to go through this experience and pursue surgery together.

"We have many couples who want to lose weight in order to improve their health and longevity," he says. "Having your life partner by your side throughout this process, supporting you every step of the way, often leads to great outcomes."

For Dr. Irizarry Alvarado, there were two other things that led him to consider bariatric surgery: seeing his pictures and wanting to be there for his family, especially his kids.

As self-described "Disney fanatics," their family loves to travel to the Magic Kingdom and go on Disney cruises. However, Dr. Irizarry Alvarado couldn't keep up with his family when walking throughout the theme park or on a cruise ship.

"My kids were at the set sail party on the cruise with the Disney characters, and I almost missed it while looking for an elevator because I couldn’t walk up the stairs to the party to meet them," he says.

After supporting his wife's lifestyle changes, he felt that he could make a similar change for himself, so he went through the program at Mayo, including surgery with Dr. Elli.

Life after bariatric surgery

About three years after surgery, Angela has lost 170 pounds, and Dr. Irizarry Alvarado has lost 125 pounds.

Their family still goes on Disney trips, but also travels regularly to other places these days — activities that seemed impossible a few years ago, like hiking a mountain in St. Lucia.

The couple says that partnering up for weight loss has been a positive for the entire family. Cooking nutritious meals at home has been a positive influence on their kids, and splitting meals when eating out is now a common occurrence.

"We enjoy so much more today, and it's amazing how many more things we can do now," Dr. Irizarry Alvarado says. "We are really living."

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