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NEWS RELEASES
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News media
contact:
Jennifer Hart, 832-824-2111
Pager:
832-824-7243, no. 6266 |
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HOUSTON (Feb.
20, 2006) – Sixteen-year-old KiAira's road to better health through
bariatric surgery at Texas Children’s will be the focus of an
in-depth, two-part report on childhood obesity by ABC’s Nightline on
Wednesday, Feb. 22, and Thursday, Feb. 23.
Nightline,
which airs weeknights on KTRK-Channel 13 at 10:30 p.m., will air
footage shot during KiAira's bariatric surgery on Jan. 30, along
with interviews of the teen and another Texas Children’s bariatric
surgery patient,
Brittany.
KiAira
qualified for the surgery because of the many serious health
complications she has as a result of weighing 372 pounds and having
a body mass index (BMI) of 75.8. Among the many problems she suffers
from are severe sleep apnea, insulin resistance and elevated blood
pressure. She also has had leg, knee and foot pain, along with
peripheral edema of her feet.
There also
are all sorts of social stigmas for children who are morbidly
overweight. KiAira, who has been teased at school, wanted to be home
schooled to avoid it.
In the short
time since KiAira's surgery, she’s lost 17 pounds and her BMI has
dropped to 70.9. On a liquid diet at the moment, she’s back at
school and checks in daily with Texas Children’s for guidance and
support.
KiAira's
operation was the 12th bariatric surgery performed by Texas
Children’s Hospital. All of the patients have lost significant
weight and had improvement of their co-morbid health conditions. In
addition to the surgery, patients benefit from counseling from a
Texas Children’s dietician, a behavior therapist and a support group
that meets twice a month to help patients and their families learn
to make healthier lifestyle changes.
Nightline’s
interview with Brittany, now 220 pounds lighter since her bariatric
surgery two years ago, demonstrates the success of Texas Children’s
program and the care taken to improve the medical outlook of
severely overweight teens.
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