A husband and wife from Wakefield have become the first couple in Yorkshire to have weight loss surgery performed by a robot.
Mike Hirst, 40, and his wife Julie, 50, from Pontefract started their weightloss mission “for their grandchildren”.
The couple had their surgeries carried out just one day apart at Dewsbury Hospital . Mike had a gastric bypass and Julie had a sleeve gastrectomy, which are both surgical treatments for people who are severely obese, who have already started to lose weight, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle for the future.
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The couple received their surgery appointment letters on the same day and were staggered when they saw their operations would happen just one day apart. Mike said: “We couldn’t believe it when we read it.”
He added: “My wife had started her weight loss journey four years ago and was all set to have her surgery then, but Covid hit and the surgery was understandably delayed.
“She did amazingly well to maintain her weight loss and she never gave up hope, despite the setback. On the other hand, I only started my weight loss journey 18 months ago – but it’s going great.”
The happy couple’s motivation for having weight loss surgery is to be fit and healthy in the future for their grandchildren. “I want to make lots of memories with the kids and I want to be around to see them grow up,” Mike, who admits he is quite young to be a grandad, said. “This surgery has given me the best chance to do that.”
Mike has already lost a significant amount of weight since having the surgery, and says he is hopeful for the future. So much so, he has committed to running the Great North Run in September. He says since the surgery he’s more active, does 10,000 steps every day, and feels fantastic.
Mike has also praised the surgical team at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust. He said: “The surgery went great and the level of care I received was exceptional. I don’t know if it’s because of the robot, but I seem to be healing up quickly and I feel better than ever.”
Miss Rupa Sarkar, Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon at the Trust, said: “I’m pleased their surgeries went well. Any operation for high Body Mass Index (BMI) patients is challenging, as is their care and recovery afterwards. The robot allows us to perform more complex bariatric procedures safely, and the bonus is that patients recover quickly and with significantly less discomfort.”
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