“Dr. Chiasson Was the Kind of Doctor I Needed” – Bill is Loving Life After Weight Loss Surgery
4/13/2026
When Bill retired to Marana after successful careers in the Air Force and state police work, he had more free time – but he lost something important: Strict professional guidelines regarding his body weight.
“It was many years of being told what to weigh and what to eat,” he says. “I decided I knew better than they did, and I started eating that extra doughnut and just buying bigger clothes. It was so hard to get out of bed and find anything that looked decent. I had multiple wardrobes.”
Eventually, Bill was carrying 361 pounds on his 6’2” frame – a situation he calls “a path of personal destruction.” He started experimenting with different weight-loss methods, including fasting and medications.
“I looked for silver bullets,” he recalls, “and they all worked – for about 10 days.”
One evening, Bill and his supportive wife of 54 years, Janice, saw an invitation to an introductory, informational meeting about bariatric surgery at Northwest Medical Center.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘We’re going to give this a shot,” he says. “It was time, and I was ready. To go through the process of this lifestyle change, you’ve got to want it, make a firm decision, and accept the sacrifices it requires.”
Bill’s gastric bypass procedure with Patrick Chiasson, M.D., and the team at Northwest Bariatric and Foregut Surgery, went smoothly and successfully, with an easy recovery.
“I have more scars from dentistry than from this,” Bill says, “and Dr. Chiasson is amazing. He was the kind of doctor I needed after a career where I made decisions about other people’s lives. He was very sure he was going to help me, and he had a great, straightforward, orderly bedside manner – his whole staff is like that.
“Dr. Chiasson is there to help change the patient’s quality of life,” Bill continues. “People need to know more about him, and this program, so they can live longer and feel better.”
These days, Bill is loving life – going to the Marana Senior Center for workouts with Janice and doing other things he enjoys. He’s also maintaining a reasonable weight, and is committed to maintaining his good habits – and resisting his former bad ones.
“Been there; done that; got the T-shirt,” he says. “It used to be a 3 X-Large, but not anymore.”
Congratulations to Bill on his amazing success – and thanks to the bariatrics team for their outstanding commitment to make the healthcare experience exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other!
Learn more about surgical weight loss at Northwest Healthcare, or request an appointment, at https://www.healthiertucson.com/bariatric-weight-loss.
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