Glauber: Rex has had a profound effect on at least one LIer

Shortly before Jets coach Rex Ryan had stomach surgery in March to help him lose weight, he had a conversation with his surgeon, George Fielding, of the NYU Medical Center.

"I remember him telling me, 'Rex, you don't realize how many lives you're going to affect, and that you can affect for the good,' " Ryan recalled. "I'm like, 'Really? You think so?' "

Vince Doherty offers undeniable proof that the answer is a resounding "yes."

A few minutes after the Jets held a practice at Hofstra on Wednesday, Ryan met Doherty, a 54-year-old Jamesport resident who told the coach just how profound an impact he truly had. "You didn't know you affected me, but you did," Doherty said.

In March, Ryan opened up for the first time about his surgery, which he opted for after ballooning to 348 pounds. Acknowledging that he was morbidly obese and risked severe health complications, including death, he wanted to share his story so it might serve as inspiration to others dealing with similar problems.

I sat with Ryan that day in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Fla., during the NFL owners' meetings as he detailed his experience, neither of us knowing who might be paying attention. As it turned out, Doherty was paying very close attention as he read about Ryan's story in the March 22 edition of Newsday.

"I've got everything right now, everything I've ever wanted in my life," Ryan said. "I have a great family, a healthy family, I'm making more money coaching than I ever thought I'd make in my life. I'm doing exactly what I want to do. I'm at the very top of my profession, I love the guys on my team, it's our team. But if you don't have your health, then you don't have anything."

Doherty wept as he read the quote. A former center at Archbishop Mitty High in Santa Clara, Calif., the 6-foot Doherty had dealt with morbid obesity for most of his adult life. By March, he weighed 375 pounds.

"When Rex said he had everything in the whole world but his health, I started crying," Doherty said. "When I read that, I said, 'This guy lives in a fish bowl and he's successful, but he knows that none of it matters without his health.' Here I am, so afraid to go to doctors just to get a refill on my prescriptions. I'd get my blood pressure checked, and it would be 180 over 100, and the nurses were like, 'Vince, you're at stroke levels.' "

There was an informational meeting that night about a surgical program at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, similar to the one that changed Ryan's life. "If it was the next day, I might not have gone," said Doherty, the vice president of sales and marketing for an aviation software company. "Reading that article, the way I was feeling, I knew I had to go. I was panic-stricken, lazy, lost. But I knew I had to go."

On May 12, Doherty had a procedure similar to Ryan's; Dr. Arif Ahmad surgically placed a band around Doherty's stomach, beginning a process that already has had stunning results. In a little more than three months, Doherty has lost almost 80 pounds, his blood pressure is down to about 116 over 68, and he is running again. Last weekend, he ran a 10K race to benefit the Jamesport Fire Department.

Ryan was duly impressed. And humbled by the effect he had on Doherty. "It's the same story with so many people, including me," said Ryan, who has lost 55 pounds. "A couple of my friends, Jamie Dukes and Tony Siragusa, got me to do it, and it's amazing. It's a smart thing to do, and if anybody knows how easy the surgery is, maybe we'll save some lives in the process."

Doherty figures Ryan may have saved his life. And now he plans on paying it forward. "Rex had no idea of his impact on me, and now it's my passion to help others," said Doherty, a prostate cancer survivor.

Doherty has created a blog - Huskyboyhealth.blogspot.com - to share his experiences. Two family members have opted to have gastric band surgery in recent months. "I want to help anyone who's feeling stuck,'' he said, "because I know how it feels."