Bariatric Surgery Gives Man Freedom to Live Again

Will Grant will never forget February 12, 2022. A huge fan of the LA Rams, they would win the Super Bowl the next day. Will, however, was in the hospital, weighing 412 pounds with a blood pressure reading of 255/123 – more numbers he will never forget.

“My doctor told me if things don’t change, I could have a major stroke within the next five-to-ten years. That was a real turning point for me,” says Will, who began an up and down weight loss journey. “After three years of not getting where I wanted to be, I knew I needed a push so decided to look into bariatric surgery.”

Living in Youngstown, Ohio, Will is familiar with Cleveland Clinic, which he considers the best hospital in the world. In December 2024, weighing around 365 pounds and very unhappy, he contacted Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute and shared what he’d been going through. That began the process to determine if he met the very specific criteria for weight loss surgery, including mandatory consultations with a bariatric surgeon, dietitian, medical provider and psychologist.

“Weighing well over 400 pounds, or even over 300 pounds, limits what you can do physically. I don’t want to have those limitations anymore. ”

“Will had a BMI of 45 along with several other obesity-related conditions including hypertension, sleep apnea, systemic acid reflux and hyperlipidemia metabolic syndrome – a group of risk factors that increase risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes,” says Ricard Corcelles, MD, a Cleveland Clinic general surgeon and internationally recognized expert in weight loss surgery.

Following the comprehensive review, and due to his existing medical conditions, Dr. Corcelles and members of the clinical team determined that Will was a good candidate for robotic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, a procedure that creates a small stomach pouch and reroutes a portion of the stomach and the duodenum (the first and shortest part of the small intestine). The use of robotics in surgery allows for less pain for the patient and provides a better view of the operating field for the surgeon.

To prepare for surgery and what would come after, Will had already met with Cleveland Clinic dietitians and psychologists. He knew what the expectations would be, that his stomach would be the size of an egg, and his body would change. He also took comfort in knowing that he was in the hands of a great team of professionals, explaining, “The thing I liked most is I wasn’t treated like a number or just another case – I was treated like a human being by people who cared about what I had going on.”

Left: Will Grant before bariatric surgery. Right: Will after his weight loss.

On April 4, 2025, Will arrived at Cleveland Clinic in the morning, and Dr. Corcelles performed the surgery – which took a little over two hours – later that day. While he experienced some initial pain, Will went home two days later.

A liquid diet at first gradually led to the introduction of recommended goods including lean proteins, beans, vegetable and fruit. Later, complex carbs were added to his diet – a diet that was totally different from what he was used to eating.

“It was baby steps to get my body used to eating certain things,” says Will, who now sits down to dinner and often leaves food on his plate, something that never would have happened in the past.

Per Cleveland Clinic protocol, Dr. Corcelles saw Will about one month after surgery. At that time, he was doing very well, had lost 25 pounds and was no longer experiencing acid reflux. He began taking multivitamins and continued to see other members of the obesity medicine team. By July, he no longer needed his CPAP machine for sleep apnea, and over time, was able to discontinue use of blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

Along with the best medical care, Will credits both his mother, Luann – who passed away at age 52 – and his girlfriend with his successful weight loss journey. “I had my mom for 29 years, but that wasn’t long enough. She’s on my mind every day to get this done and even though she’s not physically here, she’s still in my corner,” says Will.

Will and Lonyeá have a long-distance relationship. At one point, they didn’t see each other for nearly five months. “When I drove to her house to see her, she came out and her jaw dropped. I’d lost about 70 pounds since she’d last seen me. Now she jokes that if I lose too much weight, I’m going to disappear on her,” says Will.

This summer, Will had a chance to do something he’d dreamed of as overweight kid who was often too big for everything – he always wanted to know what it feels like to fly. Weighing in at just under 300 pounds, he called a local skydiving business and was told that he could do a tandem jump at 270 pounds. Will was excited and very motivated, knowing he could reach that weight. After convincing one of his brothers to go with him, Will experienced his first skydive in August and plans to make it an annual event.

Today, Will weighs 236 pounds and is working toward another bucket list item – he wants to run a marathon next summer. “Weighing well over 400 pounds, or even over 300 pounds, limits what you can do physically. I don’t want to have those limitations anymore. With the help of the obesity medicine team at Cleveland Clinic, I want to continue to lose weight properly, train and get better. I love working with them – they’ve done so much for me. I really can’t put into words what this has meant for me and my family,” says Will.