Page 17 - Inspire Health January/February 2017

LofEtheAPDAECRK
Boy Scout mom earns her badge
in confidence after weight loss surgery

Alison Lerch was always a healthy eater, lots of fruits recover. She walked on a daily basis and slowly began to eat
and vegetables while avoiding processed foods. solid food again.
As a single parent of two active teenagers, she
was always on the go — cheering practice, band, Two years later, she has lost 90 pounds and has kept it off.
sports and Scouts. “My goal is 100 pounds, and I will get there,” she says. “I
noticed quickly following surgery how I had more energy. I
Still she struggled with weight issues. got off my medications and my confidence increased.”
“I’m my father’s genetic twin,” the 37-year-old says. “So I Her confidence hit its stride when she asked a friend on
have many of the same health issues as he does.” a date.
Like him, she was on blood pressure and cholesterol “I liked Jeremy for years,” she said, smiling.
medicines. She was a bit heavy and never able to lose weight, He was her son’s scoutmaster. She had worked as a
no matter the diet or method. committee chair in the pack for years. He, like her, was also
“I tried point systems, diet pills, herbal remedies, you name divorced with two kids.
it,” she says. “I would stop eating and still gain weight.” “I had seen him at his best and worst as he spent seven
When her dad suffered a heart attack like his parents before days in the woods with 20, 10-year old boys in the high heat
him, the Nazareth resident knew it was time to do something. of summer,” she says.
She quietly began to pursue surgical options. She had had They are now ready for a lifetime of better or worse as
friends who had surgery to great success. they are set to be married in the spring.
At Easton Hospital, patients follow a pathway to surgery so “Everything is falling into place and I feel really great about
they can set themselves up for the most success after surgery. my life,” she says. “I wish I had the surgery sooner.”
She attended nutrition and exercise classes and support
groups. She met several times with the coordinator, her
primary care physician and robotically trained and fellowship-
trained bariatric and general surgeon Vinay Singhal, M.D.
“I learned so much and felt so much support,” she says.
“The staff in the program are fantastic. They checked in with
me often and always followed up with any question I had or
concern I faced.”
She had a sleeve gastrectomy, a procedure that removes
about 80 percent of the stomach, leaving behind a thin,
vertical sleeve-like tube.
“I was a little anxious going into surgery because of some
difficult surgeries I had as a child on my eye,” she says. “But
Dr. Singhal is so comforting and skilled. He took great care in

making the experience go well.”
After a two-night stay in the

hospital, she was back home to

Dr. Vinay Singhal, M.D.

Photos courtesy of Easton Hospital

JANUARY · FEBRUARY 2017 INSPIRE HEALTH 17