Reaching New Heights After Losing the Weight
A transformational health journey
In 2022 if you’d told Jeremy Calcara he would skydive with his son, run two half marathons, enjoy pickleball with his wife and love life – he would not have believed it. At that time, he weighed 367 pounds, felt unwell most of the time and didn’t have the energy to engage in fun activities with his family. Then a visit to Bryan Urgent Care changed the trajectory of his life.
“I had a cough and wasn’t feeling well so I went to urgent care,” explained Jeremy. “The provider there really cared about my overall health and me as a person. She told me, ‘Let’s take care of why you’re here, but I think there’s more going on with your health’ and encouraged me to see my primary care provider.”
Since Jeremy didn't have a primary care provider, a nurse at Bryan Urgent Care helped him find one.
"She really went the extra mile to make sure I could get the follow-up care I needed," shared Jeremy.
He made an appointment with Emily Walker, DNP, at Family Practice of Waverly.
“We talked about my health and did lab work. I found out I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes,” he shared. “It was time to make some changes – to get these health problems under control and lose weight.”
This was the start of his life-changing journey.
The Start of a Life-Changing Journey
Jeremy went on medication to lower his cholesterol and blood pressure. He went to the Bryan Diabetes Education Program to get his blood sugar under control and learn how to manage his diabetes. He took appetite suppressants to try to lose weight but that wasn’t successful. Then he met with the Bryan Bariatrics team to learn about other weight loss options.
“What I really liked about meeting with the Bryan Bariatrics team is that they talked to me about options like medications, meeting with a dietitian and surgery. They focused on what would be best for me. There was no pressure; it was very collaborative and personalized to my needs,” shared Jeremy.
“I was still thinking surgery might not be an option due to the expense, but the team worked with my insurance company and it was approved. Yet even after it was approved, I was still struggling mentally with what to do and questioned if I was taking the easy way out. I love that part of the process to prepare for surgery includes meeting with a therapist to talk about food issues. I went to the Bryan Counseling Center and met with Tom Cardwell, PhD, psychologist. It was great. He helped me tremendously and I saw that having surgery was not giving up. It’s a tool. To this day, I still think about the information he shared with me.”
The Decision to have Weight Loss Surgery
After meeting with the team and learning about all the options, the path forward was Jeremy’s decision. “Dr. Tabatabai told me, ‘we’ll do what you want’.”
Jeremy chose weight loss surgery and had gastric bypass surgery on April 30, 2024.
It’s been revolutionary to my life. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. It’s still a lot of hard work. Surgery is a boost, but you still have to do the work. You have to get used to a new way of eating. You have to remain dedicated, but it is 100% worth it.
— Jeremy Calcara
Jeremy shares that the team was so positive and encouraging, providing information and education, answering questions and focusing on incremental steps. They took his care one step at a time, and even had a checklist to follow.
He’s had regular follow-up visits with the bariatrics team to monitor his health and progress, and connects with others who’ve had weight loss surgery through the Bryan Bariatrics Facebook group.
All of this, and Jeremy’s commitment and hard work, led to his success.
A Life Transformed
Jeremy now has his cholesterol and blood pressure under control and takes about half the medication he took for these conditions before surgery. He no longer has type 2 diabetes and his A1c is “awesome”. He’s lost about 170 pounds.
Fitness has become a big part of his life, especially running and biking. In 2025 he logged about 700 miles on his bike and 400 miles running, including two half marathons.
"Jeremy has done great," said Dr. Tabatabai. "It's awesome to come full circle and watch my patient pass me in a half marathon."
A big reason Jeremy wanted to lose weight was to go skydiving with his son when he graduated from high school. And in July, Jeremy and his son jumped out of a plane together.
"That’s the best part," he said. “I feel great, and can get out and move. I love that I can play with my kids. I’m a productive member of my household. I’m a better husband and father. It’s been transformational.”
And when my 7-year-old said, ‘I’ll race you to the car’, I ran as fast as I could. It was pure joy!”
Take the Next Step to Change Your Life
To learn more about weight loss surgery, you can visit the Bryan Bariatric Services website, attend an information session or call 402-481-5490.
If you enjoyed this story, you can read more patient stories, or you can subscribe to our Journeys magazine.
To learn how you can support the work of Bryan Health, please contact the Bryan Foundation staff by calling 402-481-8605.
