Our Story

THE BIRTH OF FAITHFUL-2-FITNESS

Following completion of a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Katrina Nguyen accepted her first job at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia. She cared for many pediatric patients with obesity-related diseases such as fatty liver, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and diabetes. She provided advice on diet and exercise regimens to help patients lose weight.  However, she was often frustrated when patients would continue to gain weight.

Through communications with many families, she identified barriers that affected the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity. These included educational, environmental, social, financial, and motivational barriers. So she decided to address these barriers by utilizing local resources and by soliciting the help of many volunteers in the medical, fitness, and culinary community. She founded the Augusta Georgia Childhood Obesity Intervention Program in September 2012. This program has touched many lives in the Augusta area and established multiple community partnerships to promote healthy lifestyles for children and their families.  She was the director of the program until May 2013. This pilot program was awarded a CATCH grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recipient of the CATCH grant was her mentee, Dr. Jordan Weitzner, who went on to pursue a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

In June 2013, Dr. Nguyen and her husband, Dr. Marconi D. Deladisma, relocated to Rockford, Illinois to pursue new job opportunities.  She established a non-profit organization to assist in the development of obesity intervention programs across America.   On November 6, 2014, Faithful-2-Fitness, NFP was born.  She launched the Rockford Childhood Obesity Intervention Program on April 18, 2015.  Faithful-2-Fitness became a registered trademark on April 26, 2016.

Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Deladisma hope to make a significant impact on the lives of children and their families in any community that is interested in partnering with them in the fight against the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Faithful-2-Fitness, NFP will enthusiastically work with community partners in the fitness, nutrition, culinary, and medical fields or anyone who would like to contribute their time, talent, or treasure to this important cause.