Thomas' Story

When he began preparing for weight-loss surgery last June, Thomas McCaskill weighed approximately 400 pounds—and suffered type 2 diabetes, debilitating joint pain, swelling in both legs, and severe sleep apnea.

Thomas underwent bariatric surgery in December at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. In the four months since the surgery, he has lost more than 100 pounds along with his knee and joint pain. His blood sugar has stabilized to pre-diabetic levels, he swims at least five times a week, and he plans to resume surfing and playing baseball in his spare time.

Most importantly, Thomas now has the energy to keep up with his three young children, ages 2, 5 and 7. “Have you ever tried pushing a stroller around the National Zoo when you are really overweight and it hurts to walk?” asks Thomas, 41. “I needed to be healthy for my kids, and I feel so much better, both physically and emotionally.”

Stephen McKenna, MD

Brian Cantor, MD

Ricardo Cook, MD

Thomas’ surgeon, Stephen McKenna, MD, explains, “I performed a sleeve gastrectomy, which surgically removes a portion of the stomach to reduce it to about 25 percent of its original size, creating a sleeve or tube-like structure.”

As with all bariatric surgery at Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, the procedure was performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, which decreases pain and recovery time for the patient.

“Our comprehensive program includes multiple minimally invasive surgery options, body contouring, nutrition counseling, exercise classes, and physical and emotional preparation,” explains Brian Cantor, MD, Kaiser Permanente physician and medical director, Bariatric Surgery Program, Holy Cross Hospital. Patients also benefit from our outstanding team of cardiologists, anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists and interventional radiologists.

“A unique feature of the Holy Cross program is the availability of physician assistants, who work hand-in-hand with surgeons and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Dr. Cantor. The physician assistants help make each patient’s hospital stay as smooth and comfortable as possible.

A dedicated bariatric surgery coordinator, Jeanne Ferber, is an important resource to patients during this experience. “My role is to partner with patients to answer questions, plan for surgery, assist them and their families during surgery and facilitate support groups,” she says.