Among the youngest of the patients to undergo gastric bypass through Eastern Maine Medical Center’s program is 23-year-old Casey Lavoie of Old Town.

The Topsham native’s operation was a relative breeze, her recovery straightforward and her weight loss an inspiration partly because she had her surgery before developing such predictable complications as diabetes or heart disease.

Lavoie, who celebrated her wedding anniversary as well as the one-year point of her surgery last week, has shed half her weight, dropping from a hefty 240 pounds to a positively elfin 120.

Gone are the men’s 44-inch-waist trousers she used to wear, replaced with a stylish young woman’s wardrobe in size two and four. “But I don’t think too much about how I look,” she insisted. “I just feel so much better.”

She can even eat a fairly regular diet – there are no foods that bother her, and her portions are approaching normal.

Lavoie isn’t employed – she stays home to take care of her 2-year-old son, Bradley, while her husband finishes his education at the University of Maine in Orono. Medicaid paid for her surgery.

While recognizing that some people might think it represents a frivolous use of taxpayer dollars, she said it’s better to address the weight issue early on, before surgical risks go up.

And, she pointed out, it will be money well-spent if she never develops the pricey chronic medical conditions associated with obesity.

Lavoie, who lives in Old Town, researched weight loss surgery online extensively before contacting EMMC. “I don’t think anybody should be too bothered by the process, if you need it,” she said.

The safety issues are real, she said, but multidisciplinary programs such as EMMC’s lessen the risks.

Nonetheless, with an active child and a loving husband – who, after all, married her when she was heavy – Lavoie admitted she initially was fearful of the surgery.

“I thought, ‘If I die, will my son remember me?’ I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing it so I could lead a longer, healthier life, not just for myself, but for my family.”