(Pictured left: Ken and staff from the Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery Institute at a 5k)
Ken Scavnicky was tipping the scales at around 440 pounds. Only 33 years old at the time, he had been battling weight problems for half his life and saw an early death as a very real concern. “I want to be there for my wife and two kids,” Scavnicky says. “I don’t want some other guy to walk my daughter down the aisle whenever she gets married.”
Soon after that epiphany, the Blairsville resident spoke with his primary care physician about his weight-loss options. “He told me that with the amount of weight I needed to lose, surgery was my best option.” Choosing to undergo bariatric surgery led him to IRMC and a meeting with Dr. Brian Walkowski.
“I was immediately impressed with his knowledge and understanding of the situation,” Scavnicky says of Dr. Walkowski. “We talked about my history and the issues I’ve had with weight loss and what my goals were. He was extremely upfront about everything, and I can’t speak highly enough about Dr. Walkowski and his team. They really do care about you as a person. You are not just someone who is on their list that day.”
The two, along with staff from IRMC’s Weight Management & Bariatric Surgery Institute, participated in a 5K at the Great American Banana Split Celebration in Latrobe. The idea of running the race together came up when Scavnicky told Walkowski he had lost 140 pounds and wanted to run a 5K and, eventually, a half-marathon.
“When I said that, Dr. Walkowski stopped and told me that when I run my 5K to let him know, because he’d run it with me,” he recalls. “He said he was proud of me and the steps I’ve taken to get healthier and wanted to run with me and sponsor me. “My goal wasn’t to break any records at the 5K, and I don’t care about that. My goal was just to run the entire 5K, and the fact Dr. Walkowski was there to support me meant so much to me.” Scavnicky successfully ran the duration of the 5k course and crossing the finish line was a momentous occasion.
Scavnicky is thankful he had the surgery and is loving his healthier life. “It’s amazing how much more energy I have and how much better I feel,” he says. “I used to be very physically active when I was younger, and now I’m getting back to that. This surgery has made such a big difference in my life.”