“I Was Finally Ready” – Heather Succeeds With Northwest Bariatric and Foregut Surgery
8/12/2025
Heather – like many people – had been overweight all her life; gaining and losing hundreds of pounds through the years.
“I lost 90 pounds before I got married in 2023, but I regained 50,” she says. “I didn’t want to go back to where I was.”
At 301 pounds and 5’5” tall, Heather visited Stephen Burpee, M.D., after a friend of hers – a former patient – recommended him and the team at Northwest Bariatric and Foregut Surgery.
“He was amazing, with a great personality – no-nonsense and up-front,” she says. “He explained all of my options and everything that would happen with my gastric bypass, step by step. And I was finally ready. I was 50 years old when I did it – that was when the time was right for me.”
Heather says her surgical recovery was easy and relatively pain-free, and that she felt back up to speed after about two weeks. She’s now off her blood-pressure medications and – while she can eat anything she likes – has adjusted to eating less, with no cravings. She’s also ramping up her exercise habits with walking, housecleaning, and attending outdoor concerts with her husband.
“I don’t get out of breath, and I can bend down easily,” she says. “I can fit on amusement park rides, and little things like that. You don’t realize how much those things mean until you can do them.”
Heather recommends that people who qualify consider speaking with the experts at Northwest Bariatric and Foregut Surgery to explore surgical weight-loss solutions.
“It’s the best thing I’ve done for myself, ever,” she says.
To learn more about surgical weight loss at Northwest Healthcare, or to request an appointment, please visit https://www.healthiertucson.com/bariatric-weight-loss.
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