Old clothes are no longer a big problem after weight-loss surgery

Amar Parikh, 27, who weighed 150kgs, lost 40kgs after weight-loss surgery.

But the major dilemma for the Ghatkopar resident was what to do with his old clothes, which were oversized for him.

This is the same problem faced by all those who undergo bariatric surgery. They obviously need to discard the old clothes.

Dr Jayshree Todkar, 43, the country’s first woman bariatric surgeon, had patients complain about the same problem. That’s when she hit upon the idea of collecting clothes and distributing them among victims of calamities.

“We have a support group of obese patients who have undergone the procedure. The group has also extended its support to my idea,’’ said Dr Todkar, who has operated more than 3,000 patients so far.

Her initiative helped Parikh donate eight jeans and 15 shirts.

Like Parikh, another of Dr Todkar’s patient donated ten shirts and five jeans. And he has spread the words among his friends to be part of this noble cause.

Dr Todkar has roped in other surgeons and all of them have responded positively to her suggestion.

“There is a huge response from patients. This way we can really create a great stock of clothes which we can later distribute to the needy,’’ she added.

Weight-loss surgery was introduced in Maharashtra almost 12 year ago. Initially, people were hesitant to opt for the procedure but now many are going under the knife to rid themselves of obesity and its related ailments such as diabetes and respiratory disorder.

Dr Shashank Shah, president of Obesity Surgery Society of India, said, “We are fully supporting Dr Todkar’s initiative.’’