Katarzyna Partyka – President and founder of the CHLO Bariatric Patients Association.

She motivates and supports many people wondering if surgical treatment of obesity is for them.

In 2015, she founded the CHLO Association in Krakow, whose main goal at the time was to run a support group, however, responding to the needs of the patient community, new groups were gradually formed in Warsaw, Bialystok, Olsztyn, Zabrze, among others, which also focused on educating patients on preparation for surgery and life afterwards.

Currently, the CHLO Association coordinates support groups in 15 centers throughout Poland. These are bariatric centers in Krakow, Warsaw, Olsztyn, Łódź, Bydgoszcz, Zabrze, Jaworzno, Ełk, Łeczna, Legnica, Słupsk and Ciechanów.

The Association organizes INFO-CHLO Spots, i.e. educational meetings with doctors, dieticians, psychologists and meetings for information exchange and mutual support between patients at different stages of treatment. At a time when live meetings were not possible since March 2020 the activity has moved to an online zone and so patients can meet during regular CHLOlive. Thus giving the opportunity to reach a wider group of patients in Poland and abroad. Participation in these meetings is free of charge and reliable knowledge about CHLOs is shared by specialists working with people affected by obesity.

During the meetings, the #teamCHLO group of over 200 doctors of various specialties, dieticians, psychologists, and physiotherapists answer patients’ questions, explain the treatment process, explain methods, teach proper habits and techniques for their development, and how to eat right or be physically active so that the treatment will have the desired effect.

Katarzyna Partyka as a representative of people suffering from obesity also participates in activities aimed at improving the treatment system.

She is a member of the Council of Patient Organizations, cooperates with the Patient Ombudsman and in 2019 has been appointed to the Team for Discrimination in the Office of the Patient Ombudsman.

She is involved in social and media campaigns and is herself an organizer of campaigns to create awareness about surgical treatment of obesity, such as the pro-health picnics for the residents of Krakow in 2016-2018.

She also often shares her story and experiences in the media to motivate people to take care of their health and improve their life comfort. On a daily basis, she also motivates many people in their efforts for a better tomorrow and constantly collects the experiences of other patients to better help the next ones in need.

By understanding the patient environment, working with doctors and specialists, she helps to understand each other’s needs and expectations.

During the Mega-Info_CHLO-Spot in Gdansk she will, as usual, moderate the conferences and the whole meeting.

Privately a longtime user, fan, and representative of Thermomix.