Palmdale Regional Medical Center

A Weight-Loss Journey for Two at Palmdale Regional

When diet and exercise are not enough to shed excess weight, bariatric, or weightloss, surgery at Palmdale Regional can make all the difference. Just ask Mary and Brien Siemantel.

Mary, in her 30s, was struggling with her weight and health. More than 100 pounds overweight, she was on blood pressure and cholesterol medication. Mary lost her mother at a young age. She didn’t want her health to take her from her own children too soon.

Diet and exercise was just not doing the trick. “Nobody really wants to have surgery because they’re overweight,” says Mary, a clinical quality analyst at Palmdale Regional. “But I decided it was a tool I needed and that’s just how I had to look at it.”

Her gastric sleeve surgery was a success, but it was no quick fix. Brien was inspired to begin his own weight-loss journey as he watched his wife making big, sometimes difficult, changes.

Brien was eating foods that were no longer an option for Mary. “I understood that if I didn’t change, too, she was going to be totally alone on this journey,” Brien says. “I couldn’t let that happen. If I could have scheduled my surgery right then and there, I would have.”

Before his gastric sleeve surgery, Brien weighed approximately 280 pounds. The couple works together to stick to their new, healthier lifestyle — even though they have separate management plans.

“If Mary is having a rough day, I can reassure her. If she’s having a great day and I’m having a rough day, her success helps power me through,” Brien says.

Mary now weighs 135 pounds and is a Certified Personal Trainer. As for Brien, he has lost 100 pounds.

“This journey has given me peace of mind,” Mary says. “My family is the reason I do what I do every day. To be around for them and to do everything I can to stay around for them, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Quality Care: Discover the Difference at Palmdale Regional

Palmdale Regional is accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) and has earned a ‘Blue Distinction’ designation by Blue Shield. In addition, Aetna Institutes of Quality® recognizes Palmdale Regional for consistently delivering evidence-based, quality care for bariatric surger y.

Most recently, the hospital was recognized as One of America’s Best Hospitals for Bariatric Surgery by the Women’s Choice Award™ and was designated as a Blue Distinction® Center+ for Bariatric Surgery by Anthem Blue Cross®.

For more information about the program at Palmdale Regional, please call 661-3825051.

Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about these risks to find out if bariatric surgery is right for you.

Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Palmdale Regional Medical Center. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice, visit our website.News & World Report as High-Performing in Heart Failure Care for 2020. This prestigious honor