A Legacy of caring
We are celebrating 50 years of high-quality care. To commemorate our legacy, we’ll be sharing patient stories throughout the year.
Gloria’s Story
We are honored that Gloria shared her and her husband’s stories with us and are proud to be her and her family’s trusted health care providers.
Click above to watch her story.
Lisa’s Story
In the fall of 1975, Lisa was crowned “princess” at a special carnival held at Southeastern Elementary School. She was elected to the court to represent her 5th grade homeroom, which was one of the top fundraising classes in a school-wide effort to raise money to build the new Chesapeake General Hospital. As one of six children, Lisa remembers her parents being strong advocates for the new hospital at a time when an injured child meant a long drive to hospitals in Virginia Beach or Norfolk.
“After the hospital was built, they loved it and didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Lisa told us. “It’s a community hospital and has been since the beginning. It’s supported by the community, remains independent, and listens to what’s important to us. It’s something we need, and it became so much more.”
Click above to watch her story.
Shannon’s Story
Shannon suffered from ulcerative colitis for more than 20 years. Her condition was unresponsive to most medications, and her weight continued to climb. Searching for a solution, she assumed she wasn’t a candidate for bariatric surgery. But her gastroenterologist had a hunch Shannon could be a candidate and referred her to bariatric specialist Dr. Adam Meyers, who agreed to operate.
Since her procedure three years ago, Shannon has lost 180 pounds, no longer needs colitis medications, and is considered to be in full remission from the disease – an outcome nobody predicted. Feeling lighter and healthier, Shannon’s experiencing life much differently now.
“I have an amazing life; my life could not be any better,” says Shannon. “And I have had an amazing front-row seat for it. I’m not just watching my family do the things we do; I get to participate with them.”
Her weight loss has meant that she’s able to try the ropes course at Virginia Beach, sail the Caribbean and swim in blue waters, and hop on and off her jet ski with no trouble. It also gave her the confidence to strut her stuff at the Bariatric Program Before and After Fashion Show for the past three years. For her, it’s a way to support others on a similar journey.
“I sat in this audience before the surgery with so much fear that the procedure wouldn’t work,” she explains. “I do it to show people there can be success stories, that the fear of gaining all the weight back doesn’t have to be your reality. I’m paying it forward, paying it back—that’s what keeps me grounded.”
Click above to watch her story.