Twenty-Plus Years Later, the Silver Cross Bariatric Program Continues to Grow…So You Don’t

After months of planning, hiring and training staff, the first bariatric surgery at Silver Cross Hospital was performed in August 2002 by Dr. Christopher Joyce. 

Since then, Dr. Joyce, now retired, and partners in the practice – Dr. Brian Lahmann and Dr. Joe Northup – have registered more than 20,000 patients in their program and performed more than 8,700 bariatric surgeries at Silver Cross, which now has the only program in Will County that has been named a MBSAQIP accredited center – Comprehensive and Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery.

How it All Began

Silver Cross was looking to expand its general surgery program, and one of those options was bariatrics, recalled Dr. Joyce. So in late 2001, after many planning meetings, staff was hired and sent for training in Florida. 

By that time, bariatric surgeries had been performed for years, but Dr. Joyce said procedures already were evolving. 

“Gastric stapling and bands were found to be lacking for long-term success,” Dr. Joyce said. “Ultimately, we began offering the gastric bypass procedures, and in 2008, the gastric sleeve.”

And while his first procedure at Silver Cross in August 2002 was an open surgery, Dr. Joyce said he performed his first laparoscopic procedure there that November. Laparoscopy allows patients to recover more quickly and get out of the hospital faster. 

Spreading the Good News

While the Silver Cross Bariatric Program now offers virtual programs weekly for prospective patients, Dr. Joyce remembers the challenge of getting the word out in the early days about the new program.

One person who noted the Silver Cross bariatric program back then was Dr. Brian Lahmann, fresh from a surgical fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California. 

“I wasn’t planning to go into bariatrics, but after performing several as part of my fellowship, I fell in love with it,” Dr. Lahmann said. “The surgeries for the patients were life-changing. And I was proud to be part of their new journey.” 

Despite an offer to stay on at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Lahmann, originally from Ohio, said he and his wife, with relatives in the Chicago area, and two young children at that time didn’t have any relatives west of the Mississippi. 

“I started sending out resumes to Chicago-area hospitals with bariatric programs. I remind my wife of that every winter.” 

Dr. Joyce saw one of Dr. Lahmann’s resumes, and his interest in bariatrics and laparoscopy. 

“Brian was quite a find,” Dr. Joyce said. Dr. Lahmann was struck after meeting his future partner as well. 

“More than anything, you have to choose your partner in a practice,” Dr. Lahmann said. “You’re going to work with them day in and day out. Dr. Joyce and Silver Cross just felt so right.” 

A Growing Practice

As word about the Silver Cross Bariatric Program grew – and the nation’s obesity crisis reached epic proportions – Dr. Joyce and Dr. Lahmann began alternating leading the weekly programs for prospective patients. 

Their new partnership was growing fast enough that they needed someone to help manage the business end. Enter Vicki Funk, who had been a patient of Dr. Joyce’s a few years after he arrived at Silver Cross. 

She had had gastric staple surgery at Silver Cross in 1981, and it was starting to fail, Funk said. Both Dr. Joyce and Dr. Lahmann performed the four-hour surgery, and she was so pleased with the surgery and their caring demeanor, she asked them to keep her in mind if they ever needed office help. 

Three years later, Funk said, Dr. Joyce remembered that, and he and Dr. Lahmann brought her on to handle the knotty business part of the practice, including billing and insurance. 

Working more closely with them made her appreciate them even more. 

“They are both awesome,” Funk said. “Exceptionally brilliant, yet down to earth and humble. And very caring.” 

With Dr. Joyce retiring early in 2022, Dr. Lahmann said Dr. Northup has been a welcome addition to the practice. 

“We actually met at a fellowship conference in 2003, so we’re about the same age. With all the business we’re getting, we needed to bring in someone with experience. And he fit the bill.” 

A Lot of Happy Patients

Former patients sing the praises of Drs. Joyce, Lahmann and Northup, for the care and support they showed them all through the process. 

Nadine Weber said surgery in 2017 made it so much easier to walk some 12,000 steps a day as a customer service agent for an airline. 

“My knees were killing me, and I knew it was my weight. I am so thankful.” 

Lucy Kooyenga echoed what many patients have said: They nearly lost hope after failing so many diets and weight-loss methods. But Silver Cross bariatric patients learn their procedures are just tools, and success depends on how they change their habits. 

“My procedure was March 1, 2022, and to date I have lost 140 pounds. Now, I can hopefully get my knees replaced.” 

Sandra Gray said her acid reflux was so bad, her husband was having to wake her up at night because I was choking. 

“I also had sleep apnea, hypertension and other medical issues. I wanted to become healthy and if I didn’t do something, I was worried I wouldn’t be here for my daughter or husband anymore and that scared me.

“I’ve lost 140 pounds since my surgery in February 2022. I eat better, I feel better and I am more active. I no longer have sleep apnea or most of the other medical issues. 

“I still struggle with the mental aspect of eating healthier, but that is a forever journey and as long as I remember the end result is to live and be healthier, I get through it one day at a time! 

“I’m so thankful for Dr. Northup and the BMI surgery team for helping me get my life back and for helping me continue on this amazing journey.”

Kristy Lemke, now living in Florida, said Dr. Lahmann performed lap band surgery on her a decade or so ago. 

“I remember the last time I weighed myself before surgery, I weighed in at 236,” she said. “Now, I hold steady at 118. I’m half the size I was. Dr. Lahmann is absolutely amazing.” 

Dr. Lahmann said the emotional response that drew him into bariatric surgery has gotten only stronger. 

“I feel so selfish that one of the best parts is the feeling I get from seeing my patients so happy with their new lives,” he said. “The new things they can do again; things we take for granted: playing with their kids without getting out of breath; not having to use a seatbelt extender on an airplane.

“They are so ecstatic. They’re on the verge of tears. I actually got five hugs just this morning from patients. Not a bad way to start the day.” 

For more information, call (815) 717-8744 or visit bmisurgery.org to attend a free informational session on weight-loss surgery.