JmbAtlanta

[size=3][b]Jim Blackburn
Weight Loss Surgery Bio
June 3, 2014[/b][/size]

[size=3]As an Information Technology professional for over 30 years, Jim has worked on the front line with many new and evolving technologies that are now used daily in the business, law enforcement, and medical communities. As an early integrator, Jim often worked around the clock when testing and implementing new hardware and software and it was this dedication and determination that worked against him in the struggle to maintain his health. Over the years, Jim gained, lost, and re-gained weight and with each cycle almost always added back significantly more weight than what he had lost.[/size]

[size=3]When presented with the option of weight loss surgery by his primary physician, Jim took almost two years to come to the decision that surgery was an option that he wanted to pursue. What made the decision so difficult was that throughout his life Jim had never been in the hospital, had never had an I.V., and for the most part had been completely healthy for his entire life – except of course for his morbid obesity and mounting co-morbidities that seemed to be snowballing into what was sure to be a catastrophic life ending medical event. As fate would have it, Jim’s choice of bariatric centers led him back to the hospital that he was born at in 1962; a hospital he had never set foot in until he returned for what some would consider a re-birth or new beginning. With Jim’s strong faith and support of his wife, children, and other family members, Jim made the decision to change his life forever and has never looked back.[/size]

[size=3]On Monday, April 5, 2010, Jim Blackburn executed one of the biggest decisions of his life. Today, at 200 pounds, Jim reflects back on the decision making process that lead him to laparoscopic RnY gastric bypass surgery and the circumstances leading up to his morbidly obese weight of 420 pounds. You can hear Jim’s full interview, as a Podcast, here: [url="http://goo.gl/P6Z7BI"]http://goo.gl/P6Z7BI[/url]. As you will hear, losing 174 pounds his first year after surgery, the road was bumpy and it took a lot of hard work and support from family, friends, and the doctors and staff of Emory Bariatric Center.[/size]

[size=3]Today, Jim continues his journey and is training for his third Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race this July 4[sup]th[/sup]. He will be running in the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon as part of the Push America team in October and was awarded the WLSFA Bariathlete of the year at the 2014 WLSFA Meet and Greet in Tampa, FL.[/size]

[size=3]In an effort to give back, Jim continues to make himself available to speak to groups about his journey and to offer encouragement and support, through his story, to those considering weight loss surgery.[/size]
[size=3]Jim has become an advocate for the weight loss surgery community and strives to help others by sharing his experiences through many channels and working hard to give back to the community that helped to safe his life. Feel free to email Jim at [email="jmbatlanta@gmail.com"]jmbatlanta@gmail.com[/email] with questions or find him at any one of the following social media avenues:

[b]Twitter:[/b] [url="https://twitter.com/JmbAtlanta"]https://twitter.com/JmbAtlanta[/url]
[b]Facebook:[/b] [url="https://www.facebook.com/jmbatlanta"]https://www.facebook.com/jmbatlanta[/url]
[b]Paper.li:[/b] [url="http://paper.li/JmbAtlanta/1385157055"]http://paper.li/JmbAtlanta/1385157055[/url]
[b]Documentary:[/b] [url="https://vimeo.com/channels/jmbatlanta"]https://vimeo.com/channels/jmbatlanta[/url]
[b]Reeger Cortell, FNP-C Podcast:[/b] [url="http://www.weightlosssurgerypodcast.com/015-jim-blackburn-interview/"]http://www.weightlosssurgerypodcast.com/015-jim-blackburn-interview/[/url][/size]


[size=3][i]Contributing Author: Reeger Cortell, FNP-C, 015 Jim Blackburn Interview by REEGER on DECEMBER 31, 2013[/i][/size]