Learning to Live
Eighteen Years ago, Sheri Seal-Bailey made a decision that would change her life forever. Today, that same decision is changing the lives of hundreds.
For Sheri Seal-Bailey, the birth of her granddaughter was the pivotal moment of her life—she just didn’t know how critical it would prove to be.
You see, Sheri struggled being overweight her entire life. Four years earlier, she’d attempted to have her stomach stapled. Afterward, however, the weight she’d lost—and then some—had come back. After so many years of failed diets and weight-loss attempts gone awry, Sheri had come to accept that this was who she was—and who she always would be.
As Sheri watched her granddaughter enter the world, she was met with an array of emotions, the combination of which she’d never experienced. There was joy, knowing the happiness little Mariah would bring with each new day. But fear also made its presence known in her heart. Because at 330 lbs, Sheri knew she might not be around to see very many of those days.
“When Mariah was born it was a total wake-up call for me,” Sheri said. “I couldn’t bear the thought that I might not be around to see her grow up. So I decided to start looking at weight-loss surgery options.”
It was 18 years ago that Sheri had gastric bypass surgery. Today, after losing the weight, and more importantly, having learned how to keep it off; she’s happy, healthy and more than 200 lbs lighter. As the director of Bariatric Solutions at San Joaquin Community Hospital, Sheri uses her personal experience to help patients summon the courage to change not only their pant size, but lifestyle as well.
Losing weight isn’t a quick fix, it has to be a lifestyle change,” Sheri said. “Our team is focused on giving patients the tools and support they need to have ultimate success. It’s such an honor to be able to help people during one of their most vulnerable times.”
For people who’ve been overweight their entire lives, changing how they see themselves is often more difficult than the physical weight loss. As Sheri notes, people who don’t have a memory of “skinny” lose their identity when they lose their weight. By providing support groups and one-on-one guidance, the Bariatrics Solutions team works tirelessly to help patients accept themselves and to discover their true motivation.
“For me, my granddaughter was my reason for wanting to lose weight and change my lifestyle,” Sheri said. “When the going really gets tough—and it will—you have to know what it is about for you.”
For Sheri, however, the full effect of her transformation didn’t emerge until eight years later when another grandbaby—this time a boy—was born.
“Logan has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder),” Sheri said. “He doesn’t connect with most people, but he does with me. Of course I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was the reason I needed to change my life so that I could be around.”
It’s a change the entire Bariatric Solutions team understands, each of them having gone through either the meal-replacement program or weight-loss surgery themselves. From the moment a patient first comes into Bariatric Solutions, each of the staff members is able to see the person they can become—because they’ve been there themselves.
Often, it’s when patients develop a connection with an empathetic staff member that the real change begins.
“For us, this isn’t a job; it’s about saving lives,” Sheri said. “When someone first comes to us, they’re afraid they are going to die. We teach them how to live.”
