ROSS TAYLOR

photo stories: Glorianne

Glorianne Bautista, 17, struggled with her weight for much of her life, weighing close to 280 pounds at her heaviest.

Her weight was causing her to be on the verge of having a host of health problems — namely that she was at-risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Glorianne decided to have Lap-Band surgery at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

The procedure is growing in popularity.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Lap-Band surgery for minors, so Glorianne was only able to have it done with her parent's consent.

The medical center has performed less than ten of these surgeries, so Glorianne's decision was taking a path not often traveled for minors.

This story follows her in the weeks leading up to the surgery through the end of her senior year in high school.

Glorianne Bautista, 17, struggled with her weight for much of her life, weighing close to 280 pounds at her heaviest. Her weight was causing her to be on the verge of having a host of health problems — namely that she was at-risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Glorianne decided to have Lap-Band surgery at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.The procedure is growing in popularity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved Lap-Band surgery for minors, so Glorianne was only able to have it done with her parent's consent.The medical center has performed less than ten of these surgeries, so Glorianne's decision was taking a path not often traveled for minors.This story follows her in the weeks leading up to the surgery through the end of her senior year in high school.
   
Glorianne Bautista eats a salad with her father, Antonio, before her surgery at Tony's Pizza in Willimantic. She tried to lose as much weight as possible before the surgery, and her father wanted to support her by eating a similar diet.
   
Glorianne Bautista spends time with her friend Dorian Bernard, while her brother, Noel Bautista, at left, spends time with his girlfriend (at the time), Cassie Avilez, 16, in their Columbia home.
     
  
Glorianne Bautista looks over a selection of food inside her refrigerator at home. Part of Glorianne's obesity was largely due to food choices.
   
Glorianne Bautista looks at a Edwin Gonzales, 15, as she should be doing pushups during gym class at her high school, Windham High School. Before Glorianne's surgery, her weight made it difficult for her to exercise.
  
Glorianne holds up a couple of "celebrity" magazines highlighting some of the media, and society's, obsession with weight.
     
  
Glorianne gets weighed at one of her doctor's appointments just weeks before her surgery. She had already lost dozens of pounds before the surgery - her doctor wanted her to lose as much weight as possible to increase the odds of a successful procedure.
   
Glorianne sits in her bedroom one evening surrounded by her stuffed animals.
  
Glorianne pauses in relection during yet an appointment at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. As the date of her surgery came closer, she became more nervous.
     
  
The day of surgery finally arrives - here a nurse takes Glorianne's height and some other vital signs.
   
Glorianne's mother, Gloria, reaches out to comfort her while she becomes more nervous minutes before her surgery.
   
The moment of surgery arrives and Glorianne huddles with her family. At center left is her mom, Gloria, and at center right is her father, Antonio.
     
  
Doctors prepare Glorianne for surgery at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
   
A surgical light illuminates the Lap-Band which will be used in Glorianne's surgery to help control her weight.
  
Surgical resident Rafal Barczak marks a spot for the incision on Glorianne before the procedure.
     
  
A nurse points to the area of operation during Glorianne's surgery.
   
Doctors continued to monitor Glorianne's recovery from surgery in the days following. She was released after a few days in the hospital.
   
In the weeks after the surgery, Glorianne had to maintain first a liquid diet, then was moved to a soft-food diet. As expected, it would be a struggle for Glorianne to stay on such a regimented diet.
     
  
Glorianne Bautista struggles to work out to continue losing weight in a clinic in Glastonbury that is part of Connecticut Children's Medical Center. At left is her physical therapist Anne Lapin, a pediatric physical therapist, who helps Glorianne work out to lose weight. Glorianne visited Connecticut Children's Glastonbury Major Specialty Care Center before and after her surgery to help her learn how to better exercise and lose weight.
   
Glorianne began to struggle in losing weight at the rate, Diane Lombardi, her dietitician, would have recommended. Here they speak during a meeting at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Lombardi helped consult with Glorianne and her family with issues of diet control.
  
Dr. Christine Finck (unseen at right) inspects the suture before removing it during a followup visit post-surgery weeks later.
     
  
Dr. Christine Finck gives Glorianne some liquid to digest which will provide a dye for her to perform a checkup before tightening Glorianne's Lap-Band.
   
Glorianne Bautista gets her Lap-Band tighted by her surgeon, Dr. Christine Finck at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. She closed her eyes since she didn't want to look at the needle. Dr. Finck is the surgeon who performed the surgery on Bautista.
   
One of Glorianne's friends laughs and mock dances with her as they workout together during gym class at school. At this point Glorianne had managed to lose a substantial amount of weight from her height of around 280.
     
  
Glorianne shows her excitement as she fits into a dress as her sister, Jackie Mercado, zips up the back. The two were out shopping for prom.
   
One of Glorianne's closest friends and cousin, Miguel Mercado, checks her out with an approving smile as Glorianne gets ready for her prom date.
   
Glorianne Bautista speaks with her prom date Dorian Bernard while waiting for their families to take pictures taken before the prom.
     
  
Glorianne Bautista dances with her prom date, Dorian Bernard, at the Port 'N' Starboard banquet facility in New London.
   
Glorianne Bautista walks with Miguel Mercado after her graduation on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Her graduation was held at Eastern Connecticut State University. Mercado is one of her best friends.
  
Glorianne Bautista laughes while posing with a pair of pants she once wore when she weighted around 280 pounds. At her most heavy she was a size 18, she is now a size 10. While Glorianne still is overweight for her body size, she's on the right path towards a leaner, more healthy, future.