Silver Cross Bariatric Surgery Helps Nurse Stay in the Running for Marathons

Rachael Greeney had struggled with her weight since she was a pre-teen growing up in southeastern England. 

That didn’t stop the registered nurse from running the Chicago Marathon in 2019, even though she was carrying about 275 pounds on her 5’8” frame. 

“I always had a lot of energy, so the extra weight didn’t hold me back,” said Greeney, 39, who moved to the Joliet area from across the pond 11 years ago. 

“And I finished! It took me seven and a half hours, but I finished!” 

Greeney said she began to think seriously about weight loss to improve her running times. She had tried the usual weight-loss methods for years but succeeded in losing 100 pounds, only to gain it back several times. 

Taking the First Step

“Enough was enough. It was very frustrating, so I looked around for surgical options,” said Greeney. “I attended a BMI Surgery at Silver Cross seminar led by the now-retired Dr. Christopher Joyce at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. 

“I was very interested. So, we set up the gastric bypass procedure,” she explained. “It makes you feel full more quickly.” 

At the time of her surgery in 2020, Dr. Joyce and partner Dr. Brian Lahmann had performed over 7,000 weight loss surgeries at Silver Cross Hospital, which has the only program in Will County that has been named a MBSAQIP accredited center – Comprehensive and Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery. 

In total, Dr. Lahmann and his partners have now performed over 10,000 weight loss surgeries at Silver Cross, which also offers a broad range of bariatric surgery care services, including inpatient care, post-operative care, outpatient follow-up care, and patient education. 

“I really liked that they had that support; they don’t just do the surgery and say, ‘See you later.’ There are follow-ups every few months afterward, and even after we lost contact after a few years, I was able to call them when I got off track a bit.” 

Multiple Marathons

But Greeney has mostly been on track, down to 170 from the 383 she weighed when she had the BMI surgery. Two years after that, she ran not one, but three marathons in 69 days, each with times under 6 hours. 

“My mother was watching, and she said, ‘I can’t believe you’re going so fast!’” 

She timed just a tad slower, but still under 6 hours, in the Chicago Marathon last year. Now, she has her eye on hitting the 5-hour mark in two marathons this year, including the Chicago event in October, on her father’s birthday. 

Likely, she will have an altered Big Mac the night before (“No bread, so it’s just meat and pickles.”) So, she cheats now and then? 

“Of course I cheat. Everyone cheats. But they impressed upon me that bariatric surgery is only a tool. It’s up to me what I put into my mouth. So, most days, I have tea with collagen in the morning, 4 ounces of protein and a cup of veggies each for lunch and dinner. For a snack, I might have some pepperoni and cheese. 

“One thing I had to learn right away was to keep hydrated. I was working and I felt my heart racing. They told me to sip, sip, sip. Don’t gulp; don’t use a straw. So, now I make sure I have something to drink, usually more than water, in every room where I work. 

“I really liked Silver Cross. They treated you like a person; not just a patient. All of the people there, they care about you.” 

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