For Patients of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health) Bariatric Surgery Program, Weight Loss is Only Part of the Story Bariatric Surgery Program, Weight Loss is Only Part of the Story. With the expert care of surgeons such as Dr. Sarah Samreen and Dr. Lauren McTaggart, patients of the program are not only losing weight but also reclaiming their lives.

A yo-yo dieter for many years, Felicity Cunningham shares her journey as a bariatric patient. “My main message to everyone is that surgery is a wonderful tool, but you still must make the choices and the commitment. And you’ll get all the help you need at UTMB.”

Bill Garwood, a male breast cancer survivor, and his surgical oncologist Dr. Colleen Silva share insights on the disease that impacts approximately one in 1,000 men.

Ella Thibodeaux skipped her mammogram one year, the next year she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Bill Garwood, a breast cancer survivor, shares his story of the diagnosis he never saw coming.

“We went to see Dr. Hani Jneid at UTMB and it was the best thing we could have possibly done,” said 88-year-old Wanda Stovall who went from an active life to not being able to get off the couch after she started having an abnormal heart rhythm. Jneid and the team at UTMB were able to get her back on her feet.

Facing a rare kidney disorder, five-year-old Olin Lewis and his family rely on the UTMB Health pediatric nephrology team to keep him healthy so he can focus on things like mastering his flag football game.

A nurse for more than two decades, Cleo Glover had to adjust to being the one needing the care during her ongoing battle with breast cancer.

Facing her second battle with breast cancer, Matilda Pettis is thankful to have the UTMB Breast Health team by her side through her journey.

When Stephanie Sanchez was diagnosed with breast cancer, the UTMB Breast Health team and the community around her showed up in a big way.

Nearly two years after a head-on collision forced her to learn how to walk again, Tara Williams is able to help other UTMB patients as a patient service specialist in Angleton. “I’m so grateful to be here with UTMB,”

When a lifelong UTMB patient with a rare genetic condition found out she was pregnant, she knew exactly where to go to get the care she could trust for her and her daughter-on-the-way. Nearly two years later, both mom and daughter continue to see UTMB Health specialists and they are healthy and thriving.

When student athlete Priest Simpson injured his leg, the UTMB Health Sports Medicine team worked hard to repair the damage and get him back on the field after a full recovery.

Reba Smith-Weeden has a condition called essential tremor that prevented her from carving the Thanksgiving turkey or enjoying a cup of coffee. But thanks to the UTMB Health Neurosciences team and Deep Brain Stimulation the shaking has stopped.

When undergoing jaw reconstruction at the hands of experts like Dr. Hisham Marwan, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, patients can receive a new "jaw in a day."

UTMB Health Bariatrics patient Lauren Burkhalter credits weight loss surgery with helping her live her best life.

Inspired by a friend's battle with cancer, Pamela French decided she wasn't going to be the "sick girl" when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even when it tried to take everything she had, she fought back and kept it from taking her life.

When a doctor told Kristin Ozuna she was too young for cancer, she trusted her body and her gut until she found her way to UTMB and got the diagnosis - and care - she needed.

UTMB Health nurse practitioner Jill Resendez helps patients close the loop on breast cancer, one strategically placed tattoo at a time. She and her former patient Tina Herring joined Meagan Clanahan of Houston Moms for a recent chat where Herring shared her personal story and how reconstruction helped in her healing process as a cancer survivor.

Diagnosed with cancer during COVID, Tina Herring wants women to remember that breast cancer isn't a death sentence.