Local mother first to receive advanced robotic weight-loss surgery at AdventHealth Daytona Beach

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A year ago, Port Orange resident Julie Mabins walked into a knee specialist’s office hoping for relief from constant pain. Instead, she left with difficult news: She would need to lose a significant amount of weight before she could qualify for knee replacement surgery.

“At 48 years old, I felt like someone was giving up on me,” Mabins said. “I have an 8-year-old daughter. I want to be able to walk, to move, to be present for her. I didn’t want to be stuck in a chair.”

Mabins said she has struggled with her weight most of her life. She tried diets, exercise programs, and medications. She even lost nearly 100 pounds with a prescription weight-loss drug while working through the approval process for surgery. But she knew she needed a long-term solution — one that could help her maintain weight loss and improve serious health conditions, including diabetes and sleep apnea.

Last month, Mabins became the first patient at AdventHealth Daytona Beach to undergo an advanced robotic duodenal switch, marking the first time the procedure has been performed robotically within AdventHealth’s East Florida Division, a network of seven hospitals serving Volusia, Flagler, and Lake counties.

The duodenal switch is one of the most effective bariatric procedures available for patients with severe obesity.

The surgery works in two ways: It reduces the size of the stomach, so patients feel full sooner, and it reroutes a portion of the small intestine to limit how many calories and nutrients the body absorbs. Together, those changes can lead to significant and sustained weight loss and improvement in obesity-related conditions.

“It offers the greatest amount of long-term weight loss that we have,” said Dr. Christian Birkedal, medical director of bariatric services at AdventHealth Daytona Beach. “It’s especially helpful for patients with severe obesity or obesity-related conditions like diabetes.”

Traditionally, the duodenal switch was performed as an open surgery, requiring a larger incision and a longer recovery. Using robotic technology allows surgeons to complete the complex procedure through small incisions with enhanced precision and control. For patients, that can mean less pain and a shorter hospital stay.

“In the past, patients who had this surgery through traditional open methods could spend up to a week in the hospital,” Birkedal said. “With robotic techniques, many are able to go home much sooner.”

Mabins was discharged the day after her procedure. Just 18 days later, she had lost 17 pounds.

“I didn’t expect it to happen that fast,” she said. “But I’m excited. This feels different. This feels like the start of getting my life back.”

Over the next one to two years, Mabins could lose 150 pounds or more — enough to qualify for knee replacement surgery and significantly reduce her risk of obesity-related complications.

Her immediate goal is to move forward with knee surgery. Beyond that, she hopes to return to the active lifestyle she once enjoyed.

“I just want to be able to take a walk on the beach,” she said. “To move without pain. To keep up with my daughter.”

Birkedal emphasized that weight-loss surgery is not a quick fix. Patients must commit to lifelong lifestyle changes, including daily vitamins, routine follow-up care, and ongoing medical monitoring.

“There isn’t one perfect surgery for everyone,” he said. “The most important thing is finding the option that fits a patient’s health needs and goals and supporting them long term.”

The addition of robotic duodenal switch surgery at AdventHealth Daytona Beach means patients in Volusia and Flagler counties no longer need to travel outside the region for one of the most effective surgical options for severe obesity.

For Mabins, the milestone is less about technology and more about possibility.

“This is going to change everything for me,” she said.