Darrell Hancock Laparoscopic Bypass

Age: 47
Starting Weight: 451 pounds
Weight as of 6/22/09: 234 pounds
Total weight loss as of 2/2010: 238 pounds
Total weight loss: 217 pounds

Update: In July 2010, Darrell Hancock checked in to tell us he now weighs 210 lbs - a total weight loss of 241 lbs.! He also successfully walked the Cades Cove loop in Townsend, TN.

Update: In February 2010, Darrell Hancock was proud to announce that he lost another 21 lbs since this story was first published. He maintains a more active lifestyle and he and his wife enjoy cooking healthier foods. He said he is back to what he weighed in high school and couldn't be happier about his new life. Thank you, Darrell, for continuing to share your story.

After living overweight for years, Darrell Hancock, a night shift cashier at a Kroger supermarket, decided it was time to gain control of his health. His poor health conditions included high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems and he was borderline diabetic. With all of these health problems, Darrell was unable to enjoy his life, including his two grandkids that he so badly wanted to be able to play with.

At 46 years old, Darrell had enough. He was ready to take control and dedicate himself to an active and healthy lifestyle. He worked with his primary care doctor, Dr. Daniel Cox at UT Medical Center’s Lakemoor Family Physicians. “I got real help from Dr. Cox,” Darrell says. “I worked with him on each of my options and then really started watching programs, reading books and talking with people who already had the surgery.”

In May 2008, he attended a seminar at the Tennessee Weight Loss & Surgery Center at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he learned about adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet and surgery options. “The center was a real advocate for me,” Darrell explains. “They worked with me, my doctor and my insurance to get me the help I needed.”

His plan began with a weight loss program that taught him how to eat right and exercise. He lost 80 pounds from the time he attended the seminar until the day of his surgery.

On Dec. 1, 2008, Darrell checked into the medical center where Dr. Gregory Mancini, medical director and surgeon for the Tennessee Weight Loss & Surgery Center, performed the laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. This procedure is a minimally invasive surgery where the surgeon sections off a portion of the stomach and re-routes part of the small intestine to the smaller section of the stomach. “I was up and around the first night,” Darrell says. “I had surgery on Monday morning and was at home by Tuesday at noon. Of course, there was a little pain and some discomfort.”

Darrell began experiencing weight loss right away. He continued to focus on his nutrition and exercise, finding time to walk whenever he had the chance. He continues utilizing the UT Medical Center’s fitness center three to five times per week.

After a year since he first walked in the door of the Tennessee Weight Loss & Surgery Center, Darrell finds more freedoms in his life every day. “It is so much more enjoyable even just to walk,” he says proudly. “I make better choices now by avoiding fried food, sugar and sodas. I get plenty of exercise and really enjoy my time at the medical center’s fitness center.”

Darrell also received a lot of support from his wife, Margaret; his son, Tim; the rest of his family; friends; church; and coworkers. He went from a size 5X shirt and pants in the 60s to an XL shirt and pants in the 40s. He is quite happy with his rediscovered life that he attributes to the whole healthcare team. “I wouldn’t even think about going anywhere other than UT Medical Center,” he says. “If you are not really ready for it, then don’t have the surgery. It takes dedication and a commitment to change your life. You can’t approach it half-heartedly.”

Darrell, now 47, is thankful he found the help he needed. He now loves working around the house, mowing lawns and playing with his grandkids – things he struggled to do prior to the weight loss. Most recently, Darrell went to Dollywood with his family and was able to participate in everything, including riding rides, which he hadn’t done in years. “It’s really great to feel younger,” he concludes. “It’s been a real miracle.”