Dr. Nicholas Yphantides, Physician (GOM, 2003)

 "I lost 270 pounds!"

Taking action by "Living Large" is "Dr. Nick's" modus operandi, because Dr. Nicholas Yphantides is a doer. Whether it's a patient who needs heath care, or several UCSD medical students who need a mentor, or a teenager who needs a big brother, "Dr. Nick" is there--always taking action on behalf of people who need his help.

But then cancer hit "Dr. Nick" hard and he looked in the mirror and realized he was the one who needed help. He had stopped walking his talk and had started giving advice to his patients that reeked of that up-side-down adage, "do what I say not what I do." Successful and accomplished yet on the verge of self-destruction, a victim of cancer and over-weight and out-of-control, "Dr. Nick" faced the real prospect of losing life itself.

So he took action! He resigned from all his clinic commitments and set his political career aside. He headed out on a 38,000 mile journey with an aggressive diet an exercise program and a love for baseball--he decided to attend 110 Major League Baseball games in all 30 Major League Parks and lose 270 pounds along the way. And miracle of all miracles-with help from the most important person in his life-amazing as it may sound, he did the unthinkable. He was months into his journey when he arrived in "The Big Apple" on September 10, 2001. That's right, the day before "9-11"! There he was, in New York City, the day before a city needed a Doctor who was ready and willing and able to walk his talk.