Name:

Joyce

Age:

55

Occupation:

St. Vincent's Bariatric Center

St. Vincent Bariatric Center of Excellence nominated Joyce, 55, for this holiday issue of after40.  Joyce lives in Carmel with her husband Ron.  They were Ball State sweethearts, and married 30 years ago.  They have 3 children.  Their two daughters are Allison, 24, who attends Columbus State Community College in Ohio and Jeanette, 22, a senior at Ball State.  Their son Daniel, 16, attends Carmel High School and is a member of the marching band, jazz band and the orchestra.  Joyce works for the St. Vincent Bariatric Center where her mega-watt smile and upbeat personality get to shine everyday with people who are in the beginning phase of bariatric surgery.  Having lost 175 pounds, she is a model of success and encouragement and helps patients determine their personal weight loss path.  Our other two winners this season found her weight loss victory inspirational.  She offers them hope for the battle that looms ahead of them.  Joyce is a bargain shopper at heart and takes pride in buying ‘great deals’.  Since her weight loss, she is not quite sure how to dress her smaller figure or what size she even wears.  We found her buried inside baggy clothes that did nothing for her new slender shape.  Once we fit her in an appropriate and smaller size (two sizes to be exact), she looked like a million bucks and sparkled like a Christmas ornament in front of the camera.

Name:

Laura

Age:

41

Occupation:

HR Department at Dow AgroSciences

Riverview Bariatric Center of Carmel recommended Laura, 41, of the Speedway area, to be one of our makeover winners.  Laura  epitomizes hard work and stick-to-itiveness.  She showed the Center her dedication before her surgery even happened by losing 40 pounds through a pre-surgery weight loss program.  Laura had her bariatric surgery in September 2009 and has adjusted to her new lifestyle very well.  She has lost a grand total of 60 pounds and is well on her way to complete success.  Luckily, she has a great support system at home.  Laura is the guardian of Caitlin, her 18 year old niece and a senior at Ben Davis High School.  In college next year, Caitlin plans to major in criminal justice and minor in psychology.  She is Laura’s biggest cheerleader and cannot wait for the day that she and her aunt can wear the same size, shop, and trade clothes.  Laura and Caitlin are really a family of five when you consider the other three members: Margaret, Chica and Puppy, their canine kids.  Laura has worked for two years as an Office Professional in the Human Resources Department at Dow AgroSciences.  In her downtime she enjoys reading mysteries, gardening and just being outdoors.  Laura’s attention to detail kept us on our toes and she made us laugh with her witty sense of humor.  We admired her confidence, having been through her surgery only a short time ago.  We wish her much success as she completes her weight loss journey.

Name:

Carolyn

Age:

48

Occupation:

Supervisor & Unit Manager at ACS

Carolyn, 48, of Indianapolis, was recommended to after40 by Community Health Network Bariatric Center.   She adores her family, which includes her husband of 24 years, Henry,; her three boys, Nicholas, 21, who is a senior at Ball State and is studying physical education and sports medicine; Alexander, 19, who is a sophomore at Ball State and is studying Political Science/Pre-law and Accounting; and  Shafer,15, who attends Lawrence North High School; their dog Rocie and four fire- bellied toads.  Carolyn is a Supervisor and Unit Manager at Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a job she has enjoyed for 3 years.  She has worked in her field for 23 years, including 20 for the state prior to ACS.    In her free time, Carolyn likes to cross-stitch and take walks.  A self-proclaimed “foodie”, Carolyn caters as a side business and we understand she makes delicious cheesecakes (note: disappointed editor did not get to try any first-hand).  She began her bariatric weight loss journey in June 2009 and has relished the ride ever since.   She is very pleased with her 80 pound weight loss to date.  “If this is all I lost, I would still do it all over again,” says Carolyn.  In the short time we spent with her, it was fun to see her confidence grow as her size shrank.  They say a person’s eyes are the window to their soul and in Carolyn’s case, she has the bluest windows we’ve seen in a while.  During the time we spent with her, we proudly watched her transformation and how well she wore her new found fabulousness