Two years ago at Christmas, Rose contemplated baking Italian holiday treats and said to herself, 'I don't have the energy to do this.' She weighed 260 lbs at the time. Her exhaustion, which sent her to the doctor, probably saved her life. Diagnosed with a fatty liver and at risk for diabetes, Rose was advised to attend St. Vincent's free Bariatric seminar. She did, and chose to have the surgery.

It was something of a slam-dunk. "I had no pain from my bypass," she says. "I didn't feel sick and was home in two days." She attended (and still attends) the Bariatric support group regularly, and continued on with her active life. Her weight started dropping and - perhaps by association - so did her boyfriend's and her diabetic daughter, Kristen's.

Rose, only about 40 pounds from goal now, tells a great story about recently painting her deck. She'd managed to paint herself, cartoon-like, into a corner. "I thought, oh, no, I'll have to wait hours for this to dry! Then I just stood up, climbed onto the railing and got to the other side to freedom." She laughs. "So now I know can do anything." In fact, she is currently spearheading a "Walk From Obesity" event for the fall. It should be a success. Rose is the kind of person who, when she talks about all the things she can do since her surgery at St. Vincent's, inspires you to say, "You go, girl!"