We asked them what’s your favorite color? What area of your body are you most proud of that you want to show off? Just to make sure that when they are modeling that they are completely and 100% comfortable in what they’re walking in. They are super excited.
Rachel Rodriguez was diabetic and dependent on insulin, and Nicanor Barrera had trouble breathing and often hurt all over his body. Both of their stories derived from struggles with their health and weight, but that was then, and this — their new lease on life thanks to undergoing bariatric surgery — is now.
Rachel and Nicanor decided to have the surgery after struggling to lose weight and incurring health risks as a result. Now, they’ve not only dropped weight but feel better about themselves both physically and emotionally.
They’ve even undertaken something that would otherwise be uncharacteristic.
South Texas Health System’s (STHS) Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery Center will be celebrating its patients’ success stories by hosting its inaugural fashion show Saturday, where Rachel and Nicanor will take the stage.
The event will be held at the Radisson Hotel McAllen Airport, located at 2721 S. 10t St., in McAllen from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The fashion show will start at 6:30 p.m.
Tom Castañeda, system director of marketing and public relations, said the show gives each former patient the opportunity to share their stories.
“Their complete change after surgery and how proud they were of their overall journey and their success was just really inspiring,” Castañeda said. “We really wanted to share that with the community … and to promote weight loss … that is a tool that you can use to lose weight but also comes with a commitment to making some drastic lifestyle changes.”
The show will consist of seven models, four females and three models, along with two models who will be attending the event virtually, including Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ellie Torres.
Each model will be borrowing clothing donated by Leona Style and The Boot Jack with makeup and hair by Labpro.
When organizing the show, STHS focused on what the models wanted.
“We asked them what’s your favorite color? What area of your body are you most proud of that you want to show off? Just to make sure that when they are modeling that they are completely and 100% comfortable in what they’re walking in,” Castañeda said. “They are super excited.”
Rachel, a 51-year-old Brownsville native, will take the runway as a model during Saturday’s fashion event after undergoing the surgery at the center nearly 10 years ago.
She had been diagnosed with diabetes and began to take insulin to balance her sugar levels and, due to the medications, gained weight.
I need to do this because I need to be healthy for my children.
For Rachel, the surgery gave her the opportunity to take control of her health.
“I wasn’t focusing on losing weight. I was focusing on my a1c, I was focusing on my diabetes,” Rachel said. “My goal was to get off insulin, to get off medication.”
However, she was not only worried about how her health affected her but also about how it would affect her children.
“I need to do this because I need to be healthy for my children,” Rachel said with a shaky voice as she recalled her moments before the surgery.
She explained that before the surgery she weighed about 212 pounds and now after 10 years post-surgery weighs 121 pounds and continues to lose weight.
But it wasn’t easy.
“That is the number one misconception that people think you went the easy way out,” Rachel said, adding that after recovering from the surgery she experienced a lot of negative feedback from people.
Weight loss surgery requires work and commitment to one’s health, she said.
“I’m happy because I’m healthy,” an enthusiastic Rachel said.
Now, she uses her experience to encourage others who undergo the surgery.
In fact, her 22-year-old daughter recently got the surgery as well. Rachel explained that she motivated and mentored her through the ups and downs of the procedure.
Although it was for health reasons, she added that the surgery also boosted her confidence in herself.
“I want people to see that it is possible that this surgery will help you lose weight,” Rachel said. “I’m very excited; I’m looking forward to it.”
Nicanor, a 48-year-old Brownsville resident and former patient at the bariatric center, said the surgery gave him a new sense of motivation to have a more active lifestyle.
There is a little more pep in my step. I’m a little more confident. I’m back to old Nick, I don’t know what else to say. I feel younger.
He explained that throughout his life his weight would fluctuate depending on the situations in his life.
“The older I got the harder it got for me to lose weight,” Nicanor said at the time his mother was battling cancer, which only motivated him to get healthier for her.
His mother would often remind him and his brother to take care of themselves. It was this moment in his life that sparked his journey through weight loss surgery.
“I feel better than when I was in my 30s,” Nicanor said with a sigh of relief. “I look and feel so much healthier. My skin is different, my walk is different, the back pain is gone, the knee pain is gone, the foot pain is gone.”
He explained that the surgery had an overall positive impact on “every aspect” of his life including his self-confidence.
“There is a little more pep in my step. I’m a little more confident,” Nicanor said. “I’m back to old Nick, I don’t know what else to say. I feel younger.”
Although nervous to walk the stage, Nicanor and Rachel both feel it is important to represent and show the positive impact of weight loss surgery.
“A transformation celebration … It’s a metamorphosis, they’re butterflies that have sort of … they were in a cocoon and now they’ve blossomed into these awesome butterflies,” Castañeda said.
