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For years, Cristian Randeau harbored a secret dream to go skydiving. Only one thing stopped her: her weight.
“Skydiving rules said you couldn’t be over 200 pounds,” says the 34-yearold Bartonsville, Pa., resident. “I hadn’t weighed under 200 since I briefly lost weight after my second son’s birth. At my highest, I reached 231 – too much for someone 5 feet 3 inches.”
Randeau tried dieting and exercise over the years with little success. She finally came to accept her size and embraced the “big-is-beautiful” philosophy. But deep down she still felt ashamed and frustrated by how much extra weight limited her.
It wasn’t just missing out on skydiving. Randeau also avoided everyday activities, like jumping on the trampoline or swimming with her sons. “I couldn’t keep up with my kids because I was too heavy or too embarrassed to join in,” she recalls. “I wasn’t the mom I wanted to be.”
Tipping point
The real wake-up call came when Randeau began noticing health problems. First, she developed gestational diabetes during her second pregnancy, putting her at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Her knees often hurt, and she tired easily.
“My father died young from not taking care of his body,” she says. “The combination of him passing so early and fear that my children wouldn’t have a mother is what ultimately pushed me to take action.”
Randeau mentioned weight-loss surgery to her primary care doctor, who immediately referred her to bariatric surgeon Nicolas Teleo, MD, with LVPG General, Bariatric and Trauma Surgery–Plaza Court in East Stroudsburg.
“We met in November 2016 and agreed that gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) was my best option,” Randeau says. “I began participating in the preoperative education and support program at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono Weight Management Center.”
Prepping for a new life
Over the next months, Randeau attended nutrition classes, as well as support groups and behavioral counseling sessions to uncover and manage emotional triggers that made her overeat.
As a childhood sexual abuse survivor, she’d turned to food as a coping mechanism to make herself feel better. Extra weight also offered a layer of “padding” that provided a sense of security. Research shows this is common among childhood sexual abuse victims, increasing their likelihood of becoming obese in adulthood.
“People usually overeat for various emotional reasons,” says physician assistant Denise Castro, PA-C, Teleo’s colleague. “Before surgery, patients learn healthier ways to cope with stress and new strategies for rewarding themselves.”
In July 2017, Teleo performed gastric sleeve surgery, a minimally invasive procedure that removes about 75 percent of the stomach, including a part called the fundus. “The surgery restricts calorie intake by reducing how much you can eat during meals,” Teleo says. “The fundus of the stomach contains ghrelinergic cells that secrete an appetite-stimulating hormone known as ghrelin.”
The best reward
Today, Randeau’s weight has stabilized at a healthy level between 131 and 137. She credits Teleo’s “brilliant” surgical skills and Castro’s ongoing encouragement. “She really built my confidence,” Randeau says.
Also key was developing a new relationship with food. “I used to reward myself by going out to dinner with family or friends,” Randeau says. “Now I go roller skating or buy a new dress. Bariatric surgery isn’t a quick fix, but a tool to help manage your weight. Adopting new eating habits is also integral to success.”
Randeau no longer holds herself back from enjoying life. Recently, she and her sons went jumping at the trampoline park. She also crowd-surfed at a music concert for the first time, allowing herself to be passed over concertgoers’ heads without fearing she was too heavy.
Even better, Randeau finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of skydiving. “I went with my mom and wasn’t nervous until after we’d jumped,” she says. “Then I just took it all in – it was awesome. I highly recommend weight-loss surgery to anyone who wants to take control of their health and take back their life.”