Changing a life via LinkedIn - the positive power of social media

Just finished a phone call with a guy who found my weight loss transformation video here on LinkedIn and emailed me asking for help. He has been offered the same gastric sleeve surgery I had albeit his is on the NHS and with 3 weeks to go he is scared and very confused and thinking of backing out.

It was hard not to get emotional on the call when he was talking about dying in his 40's and leaving his wife and kids.  I appear to have got across that doing nothing is not an option for him just like it wasn't for me. Yes the operation comes with risk as does all surgery but this is less risky than surgery that might result from a stroke or obesity related illnesses of which he has a few.  I told him I wasn't a doctor, just a guy that had been where he'd been, as he's currently 26 stone (364lbs /165Kg) and in a dark place. I told him I can only give him my opinion and the final decision has to be his and his alone, with support from his family which is important.

After our call he said he felt better but he said he wished his wife and family could have been in on the call as they would understand me better than the doctors. I asked him where he lived and he said Birmingham, so I told him as I work out of an office in Birmingham I would be happy to visit him at his house after work and speak to his family - he was over the moon and said that this would really help them meeting someone who had not only been through it and changed his life for the better, but someone who explained things so well.

I was pains to point out that I would tell them my experience, the good and the bad bits and hide nothing, as the surgery was a life changer but he and his family would have to work at it. He agreed we should meet and so I now after helping and advising a number of people by email and phone I have my first face to face intervention.  I am looking forward to it and hoping I can help this man who is only 39 years old and who has so much to live for to make the change and write many new chapters to his story for years to come.

The power of LinkedIn and social media, changing and saving lives....its not all about business, some things are more important than business. If anyone out there has concerns around obesity or is considering gastric surgery to combat obesity and wants to speak to someone who's been through it then feel free to contact me or go to my not for profit website to find out about my journey - www.bariatricman.com - you've nothing to lose except the weight and the anxiety.