Chandea’s Story: A Path to Trust

Chandea Rowley had tried before. She’d started the process of weight loss surgery at another hospital, only to have it derailed when COVID shut everything down. For a while, the door seemed closed. Then, a friend, someone who had already walked this road, told her about GBMC’s Comprehensive Obesity Management Program. 

When Chandea learned she could attend a virtual information meeting from the safety of her home, she decided to look into it. What she found surprised her. It wasn’t just the quality of the information or the professionalism of the team. It was how seamless everything felt. 

“From my first call to the office, to insurance verification, taking the required classes, and scheduling my surgery date, the entire process was incredibly smooth and well-coordinated,” Chandea said. “That level of organization helped me stay on track throughout the journey.” 

For someone who had already experienced the frustration of a derailed process, consistency mattered. COMP didn’t just offer her a surgery date, it offered her a path she could trust, one step at a time. In October 2023, Dr. Timothee Friesen performed her procedure, and the aftercare that followed only deepened her confidence that she’d made the right choice. 

“The aftercare I received at the hospital, along with all of my follow-up appointments, has been both professional and genuinely warm,” she said. “Choosing GBMC was absolutely the right decision.” 

But there’s one part of Chandea’s story that stops her in her own tracks. 

“I run now,” she said, and you can hear the wonder in those three words. “I may be a slow runner, but I’m out there, and it still amazes me what my body can do.” 

She also went to Disney World for the first time. She didn’t need a seatbelt extender on the plane. She fit comfortably on every ride. She walked 20,000 steps a day. These are the moments that don’t make it into medical charts, the quiet, private victories that change how a person moves through the world. 

“Even now, thinking about it still gives me chills,” Chandea said. “I’m so proud of myself.” 

Chandea’s story is about more than weight loss. It’s about what happens when a program doesn’t just perform a procedure, it builds a bridge from where you are to where you never thought you could be.