Sisters undergo bariatric surgery together in same operating room

By Darla Miles

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    FOREST HILLS, Queens (WABC) — Two sisters who went under the knife at the same time in the same operating room are speaking out about their experience to achieve a healthier life.

“We did share a room in the hospital as well,” Cassidy Deerkoski said. “We were looking at the each other and it was kinda funny. And when we would wake up, we’d wake up at the same time.”

The decision to undergo bariatric surgery didn’t come easily for Cassidy and her sister Caitlyn who are relatively young at the ages of 23 and 21.

They had the surgery in June. It was performed by Dr. Armando Castro-Tie, the chief of surgery at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Hospital.

It’s a minimally invasive procedure that uses a robot to reduce the stomach’s capacity to hold food.

“The importance of having this as the same time…having that support, having that common goal, having that person to partner with to kind of keep each other honest and keep each other on track is so so important,” Dr. Castro-Tie said.

Caitlyn said she is down 46 pounds so far.

The sisters struggled with their weight all of their lives – and the bullying that came along with it.

“My classmates would be like ‘oh, you’re fat, you’re a bigger girl,’ and I was like ‘I know that, like thank you,'” Caitlyn said.

But it wasn’t insensitive words that led to the life-changing decision.

“It’s not just about I want to look great, it’s about I want to live longer, I want to be healthier,” Castro-Tie said.

“I did have a few reactions. My friends were like why are you doing that,” Cassidy said. “Why can’t you just work out. Definitely didn’t make me feel good and I’m doing it for myself not for you guys.”

“I would not have been able to do this alone,” Caitlyn said. “It was really nice to have my sister. It just felt right.”

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