A 900-pound man lost half his weight with minimally invasive bariatric surgery.

ST. SAINT PETERSBURG, Florida. – A new minimally invasive bariatric procedure helps people lose weight with less downtime than traditional weight loss surgery.

Leonard Degaleri’s mother said her son’s weight problems began as a child.

“He had a stomach virus. The doctor said it was a stomach bug, gave him an injection and after he got home he just put on 10 pounds a week. and from then on, he just gained weight and continued to gain weight, ”explained Paulette Degalleri.

His weight was becoming dangerously high.

“In 2011 he was bedridden. It was terrible. I had to call for help. He weighed 620 pounds at the time and was only 14 years old,” DeGalleri said.

He reached a point in his twenties where he could do nothing for himself.

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“It was a game-changer at 918 pounds. He said, “Mom, I tried my best and I know I don’t want to die.” And it just amazed me, ”Degalleri shared.

To save his life, they turned to bariatric surgeon Dr. Alexander Ramirez of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

“The other option was to send him to some kind of hospice because he wasn’t doing well,” Dr. Ramirez explained. “Either you get the surgery and save your life, or you don’t go for the surgery and you could lose your life.”

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To lower any risks, Leonard worked with hospital dietitians to shed over 100 pounds ahead of his robotic gastrectomy.

This is a fairly new procedure that reduces the size of the stomach to help Leonard lose weight.

“Definitely the first time I have had someone over 900 pounds. Especially in his case, having surgery on someone over 500 pounds carries a very high risk of pulmonary complications.

Using a robot allows us to do this operation with just three small incisions so that patients have less pain and less scarring,” said Dr. Ramirez.

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“He said that I always pray for my patients before surgery, and this is the first time I hear this from a doctor,” DeGalleri shared.

Two weeks after the operation, Leonard began to walk. Now, more than a year later, he said that life continues to improve.

“I feel amazing. Now I weigh 454 pounds. Now I can do everything. I don’t get tired, I don’t suffocate, nothing,” Leonard said.

“He said he wanted to finish school because he couldn’t finish school because of his weight. He said he wants to get the rights. There are many things that he wants to do, but he did not have the opportunity to do – said Degalleri.

Click here for more information about the operation.