A St. Johns County woman has a new respect for Mother’s Day after surgery changed her life. Katie Anderson says a big transformation is making a difference in her experience of motherhood.

There’s good news when it comes to bariatric surgery and COVID-19. A recent Cleveland Clinic study shows those who’ve had weight loss surgery are less likely to be hospitalized for the virus. Their goal was to see how the virus impacted those with severe obesity compared to those who previously had bariatric surgery. “We found that in patients with severe obesity, 42 percent of them required hospital admission versus only 18 percent of patients who had history of bariatric surgery,” said Dr. Aminian. Dr. Aminian adds people are generally healthier after losing a large amount of excess weight, which gives them a better chance at fighting the virus.