Non-physician affiliated support groups???

Just wanted to know how many folks would be interested in having a non-physician affiliated support group? I know there are a few out there that are with surgical centers/groups but on other boards there are people who have put together walking groups/support groups/cooking club thingys and I think that's a great idea for us folks out here in Hawaii. Just thinking...maybe once a month and have a planned event every 2 or 3 months. Maybe different topics could be brought up for discussion at each 'meeting' and maybe a recipe swap/clothing swap/anything to keep it interesting. I think for this to be a successful idea we'd need to have at least 10 people on Oahu that could get together...what do yall think??? We WLS peoples need lots of support...and who better to turn to but each other 'cause we've been through it. Most surgeons and dieticians aren't WLS patients...though their advice is very important I think that peer support is very imporatant too. Soooo...any takers?? Dana

Count me in....I really need to become part of a support group, I think it would help tremendously. If you want some help getting things started, I can try and help as best I can....Let me know

Jessica... Okay that sounds great. Basically it's myself (a pre-op RNYer) and my really good friend, a one year post-op LapBandster. We also have another friend who is 5 years out of open RNY and she thinks she's interested but has a busy schedule and needs to see if she can fit it in. We are just in the beggining stages of planning, but basically...I work for GGP (the company that owns Ward and Ala Moana malls) and at Ward there are a few conference rooms that we may be able to use when they aren't being rented. I need to check up on my inquiry about the conference rooms when I get back to work on Tuesday. I'll let you know as things progress, but I just think it's important to have peer support along with physician support. I'll let you know soon. Dana