Gastric Band Procedure Provides Patient Remission from Diabetes

Florida Hospital Celebration Health Patient No Longer Suffers from Diabetes, Due to Gastric Lap Band Procedure

Researcher who discovered link between diabetes and gastric band procedure speaks at Gastric Band Summit

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 2, 2009 - Ed Schneider now weighs 225 pounds, 91 pounds less than
what he weighed in January, thanks to a gastric lap band procedure performed by Dr. Keith Kim
at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Following his surgery, Ed's life changed dramatically -
his energy level is up, he doesn't need a seat belt extension anymore and he can walk for more
than 10 minutes without having to sit down. Even more unbelievable - Ed no longer has
diabetes, a disease he lived with for more than 25 years prior to his surgery.

"This procedure was a totally life-changing experience for the better," Ed said. "It's wonderful - I ride my bike, I walk, I do a lot of things I just didn't have the energy to do before. My wife said I was twice the man she married, well I'm working on getting back to the same man she married."

Dr. John Dixon, associate professor and head of the obesity research unit at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, initially discovered the correlation between the gastric lap band and diabetes. He and other world-renowned faculty gathered in Central Florida this week to discuss topics like this at the 2nd Annual Gastric Band Summit.

The disease of obesity has been growing at an alarming rate over the last several decades and is now believed to affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. In addition, nearly 28 percent of greater Orlando residents say they are obese. Currently, it is accepted that bariatric surgery is the only consistently effective treatment for morbid obesity. The gastric band is accepted as the safest and lease invasive bariatric surgical procedure.

For more information, contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

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