CARY, N.C. — A Texas woman is sharing her incredible weight loss story just over a year after a Cary-based doctor performed a minimally invasive procedure on her.

Its called ESG, or endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty.

Spectrum News 1 was there for the doctor-patient reunion last week.

“Hello, oh my goodness, how you doing? Come here. So good to see you," Dr. Christopher McGowan said. "You look amazing, welcome back."

It’s been 15 months since McGowan has seen his patient, Kyra Williams.

When they first met in August 2020, Williams weighed 270 pounds.

“I always say I didn't know how bad I felt until I started to feel good," Williams said.

The wife and mother of two is from Texas and traveled all the way to True You Weight Loss in Cary for help.

Today, she’s at 161 pounds. Last August, McGowan performed an ESG procedure on Williams. She says it changed her life.

“The way that I move, the way that I walk, the way that I can still play with my children, shopping not getting tired," Williams said.

Williams has been documenting her journey on social media and calls herself the "Fierce ESG Diva" on Instagram.

ESG is non-surgical.

“We’re working through the mouth in the stomach, no incisions, and I'm able to suture the stomach that way," McGowan said.

He says the goal is to place sutures inside the stomach to tighten it and make it into a sleeve-like shape.

“Kind of like a little sewing machine on the end of an endoscope," McGowan said. “In the end what that means is you can eat less food and feel satisfied.”

McGowan says he has completed 1,100 ESG procedures.

He’s the first and only doctor in the country to reach that milestone.

“It's not really about the numbers, I'm proud we've really mastered this technique and proud of how so many of our patients have done," McGowan said. "Helping patients lose weight I mean when you think about the scale, talking about improving health, confidence. Our patients are so happy when they lose weight and that's really rewarding for me.”

McGowan can perform anywhere from six to eight ESG procedures a day.

It takes McGowan and his staff just under 40 minutes for each procedure.

ESG is ideal for patients who have a BMI of at least 30 and who have not been successful with diet and exercise alone.

McGowan warns regaining weight after the procedure is always a possibility if patients don't stick to a diet and exercise routine.

ESG procedures at his office costs close to $11,000.