Many of you on here know me well, I have been a part of these message boards for years. I love our members and I want only the best for them. Therefore, I can not in good conscience keep this to myself any longer.

Dr. Illan is a wonderful surgeon. In fact, when I used to coordinate, for a while I actually referred patients to him. His coordinator, Omar, has a very, very faithful following. So much so, I fully expect and am prepared for the "verbal beating" I am going to get for going public with what I know. But, if I prevent just one woman from experiencing what I am about to share with you, then it will all be worth it.

As I said, Omar is very well loved among the patients, especially the ladies. He goes out of his way to ensure everyone has a great experience while there. He provides for the patient's every need, transports them around town, runs errands for them, sits by their bedside and so much more. He is very charming and charismatic. There will be many, many members who will respond to this thread stating just that. In fact, when the first patient, one that I had referred to them, approached me about what happened to her, I did her a horrible disservice by not really believing what she told me, because Omar did such a good job of convincing me otherwise. But now, after six woman, some of whom I referred to Dr. Illan, some not, have contacted me regarding what happened to them, I know now that first patient was telling me the truth, she did not misinterpret anything and I must speak out.

So, what is it that I am speaking off? I am talking about taking advantage of woman who have traveled to a foreign country by themselves, most likely have low self-esteem due to their weight issues, they are scared and they are lonely. Then, along comes Omar. He is by their side throughout their stay. He is, as I said before, charming and charismatic. They very quickly find themselves falling victim to him, and he takes advantage of them in several different ways. He either is sexually suggestive to them, sexually inappropriate, or convinces these woman he truly cares for/loves them and begins a romantic relationship with them. Because of how vulnerable they are, they believe he really does care about them, and they allow themselves to be wooed by him and have a romantic and/or sexual relationship with him. Then, shortly after, he basically dumps them. He quits responding to their calls, texts, etc. He leaves these woman feeling broken and foolish for falling for him. They feel like they have done something wrong, when in fact, they are merely the victim of a heartless man taking extreme advantage of his position and their vulnerability. Understand, I am not saying this happens with every patient, but it does happen and it shows an extreme lack of professionalism and moral character.

I have attempted to contact Dr. Illan to speak with him personally about this. Unfortunately, Omar makes that nearly impossible. All calls, emails, etc. are intercepted by him. And, here is the saddest part of all, Dr. Illan already knows what is going on. So, I am doubtful my talking to him would make a difference. Dr. Illan knows Omar has a strong fan base, and therefore, brings him a great deal of business. So, he turns a blind eye to what is happening. Which, is why I have no guilt in publicly coming out and sharing what I know. I will be honest, my goal here is to have Omar removed from his position as coordinator with Baja Bariatrics and Dr. Illan, and to see that he does not work in this field or any other field where he can take advantage of woman again. And, if Dr. Illan goes down as a result, well, shame on him for allowing it to happen in the first place.

Wow!! This is really unreal.. Exactly the reasons women don't come forward. In such cases of unwanted sexual advances and discrimination. I can understand concerns of unproven allegations. I honestly can say I have lost a good nights sleep over whether to reply or not. Haven't lost any sleep over Omar in at least 6 months.. That being said .. I was one of the ones involved in a consensual sexual relationship from August to January of last year. I also emailed Susan to express my support of those who received unwanted sexual advances. I may lose Facebook friends over this.. But they have expressed their observances I decided to throw in the towel and express mine.. First and foremost I do think Dr . Illan is a fantastic surgeon.. Would I go back .. Yes in a heart beat he literally saved my life. Would I recommend him yes most assuredly but I would never send a woman alone with Omar. Do I feel like a victim.. No! But I do the know if I hadn't been at such a low point in my life I wouldn't have participated in a relationship with him. Take a good look in the mirror ladies .. At 242 pounds I was not the most self assured woman in the world. When we go for these surgeries we are at the lowest point in our lives.. We are desparate.. Lonely and most often depressed.. We are FAT and some haven't had the attention, concern and affection shown to us in years.. Even some that are already in relationships. He is your husband, boyfriend confessor all rolled into one. He is GOOD at his job.. He gets PAID to do this.. The more he can reel you in.. The more patients you bring in.. The gifts, the tips and the money he takes off the top.. And yes I know for a FACT he has done this. The emails and texts he blocks for Dr . Illan these are words out of his mouth to me.. He sets the prices he runs the show!! His words again not mine. Manipulator, con-artist, hustler all rolled into one.. But the main one is predator.. He prays on these women's insecurities and vulnerabilities.. He approaches those he feels are most open to his advances.. Sometimes it works.. Sometimes it doesn't.. You go for these surgeries needing to be seen as a patient a human being that is seeking treatment.. Not to be seen as a sexual conquest and a potential marketing tool... Those that are less worldly or knowledgable than I could and have been duped and violated in the most outrageous form... So take this as you will personally I'm out of it all together.. I hate that others were hurt perhaps if I had spoke up sooner they wouldn't have.. Perhaps not!! As we see the evidence posted on this thread.. Do I think he should lose his job? I'm really not sure on that.. Integrity is the albeit answer. Crime? If so is it a crime to expect and receive respect in all aspects of this journey? Peace and Blessings

Any person in authority who starts a relationship with a client/patient/student/etc., consensual or not, is wrong. It may not always be a legal issue, but it is a moral and ethical issue.

I am so sorry you went through this but I applaud you for coming forward. I am sure that in light of some (not all) of the supporters in this thread, your decision was s difficult one. I hope you've gotten the counseling and support you need to get past this.

If your words save even one person from going through this same experience, whether is be because they choose not to use this surgeon, or because this surgeon/coordinator rethinks his future actions, you've done a great service to others. I sincerely hope you get better treatment for coming forward than the last young lady who did the same.

First off, you guys are having a field day with my fiance. Surely you can come up with better, more reasonable arguments than that? Bill and I sit in our recliners and the iPad is on the table between us. I went to do a load of laundry. He signed me out, then because it had been so long since he posted under his old name and couldn't remember it, he went ahead and started a new account. He has worked with many patients, he has also worked as a counselor with abused woman, so he has taken a great interest in this thread. And, naturally, he wanted to add his take on things. I came back, picked up the iPad not realizing he had been on it and typed my responses. After I hit enter on the second one, I saw his name instead of mine, so I deleted and reposted under my name. That is it, plain and simple. BariatricPal *susan*, Aussiegirl_73 has just posted a reply to a topic that you have subscribed to titled "Baja Bariatrics, Dr. Illan and Omar - A Warning". Susan.............Troll, Troll, Troll. Looks and sounds like the act of an internet troll to me.....dont ruin my experience with your unproven and destructive propoganda. If you were genuine, your would never have been a troll poster, but would have gone to the authorities and never made it onto a thread until it was a proven fact.

Wow...

Edited July 14, 201412 yr by *susan*

Wow!! This is really unreal.. Exactly the reasons women don't come forward. In such cases of unwanted sexual advances and discrimination. I can understand concerns of unproven allegations. I honestly can say I have lost a good nights sleep over whether to reply or not. Haven't lost any sleep over Omar in at least 6 months.. That being said .. I was one of the ones involved in a consensual sexual relationship from August to January of last year. I also emailed Susan to express my support of those who received unwanted sexual advances. I may lose Facebook friends over this.. But they have expressed their observances I decided to throw in the towel and express mine.. First and foremost I do think Dr . Illan is a fantastic surgeon.. Would I go back .. Yes in a heart beat he literally saved my life. Would I recommend him yes most assuredly but I would never send a woman alone with Omar. Do I feel like a victim.. No! But I do the know if I hadn't been at such a low point in my life I wouldn't have participated in a relationship with him. Take a good look in the mirror ladies .. At 242 pounds I was not the most self assured woman in the world. When we go for these surgeries we are at the lowest point in our lives.. We are desparate.. Lonely and most often depressed.. We are FAT and some haven't had the attention, concern and affection shown to us in years.. Even some that are already in relationships. He is your husband, boyfriend confessor all rolled into one. He is GOOD at his job.. He gets PAID to do this.. The more he can reel you in.. The more patients you bring in.. The gifts, the tips and the money he takes off the top.. And yes I know for a FACT he has done this. The emails and texts he blocks for Dr . Illan these are words out of his mouth to me.. He sets the prices he runs the show!! His words again not mine. Manipulator, con-artist, hustler all rolled into one.. But the main one is predator.. He prays on these women's insecurities and vulnerabilities.. He approaches those he feels are most open to his advances.. Sometimes it works.. Sometimes it doesn't.. You go for these surgeries needing to be seen as a patient a human being that is seeking treatment.. Not to be seen as a sexual conquest and a potential marketing tool... Those that are less worldly or knowledgable than I could and have been duped and violated in the most outrageous form... So take this as you will personally I'm out of it all together.. I hate that others were hurt perhaps if I had spoke up sooner they wouldn't have.. Perhaps not!! As we see the evidence posted on this thread.. Do I think he should lose his job? I'm really not sure on that.. Integrity is the albeit answer. Crime? If so is it a crime to expect and receive respect in all aspects of this journey? Peace and Blessings

Thank you for sharing what happened with you, that took a lot of guts to come forward and post this, and I admire you for doing so.

As with any other business, I like to hear about other people's experience with any company before I choose one. I respect every opinion and take them all to heart. When I hear multiple complaints saying the same thing, then I see proof of the allegations, I have to change my opinion. Defend if you wish, but don't ignore the obvious.

OK...as Susan pointed out, you are her fiancee Bill....she didn't realize your profile was open when she posted HER response that travel mego caught....you magically opened this account tonight, with 4 posts and YOU quote the above....sorry, but i have to agree with travelmego...YOU are BillC..you made up this fake account for support....Not only that, but in May YOU Susan...wrote me personally to say that you thought both Dr. Illan and Omar were wonderful and if you were to go ahead with your revision it would be with him? You knew about these "allegations" in September but two months ago you thought they were both wonderful?? Doesn't make sense? I may be a newbie on here, but I have been researching and reading these boards for months and months...I have not had surgery yet...as mentioned, I've even had contact with you about different surgeons...this just seems way to fishy to me.

Yes, but that was in May, as you pointed out. Shortly thereafter, I started receiving emails from woman and then I knew that the person who had first come to me last year did not misinterpret anything, and that I had done her a disservice. If you read my earlier post, I stated that Omar had done a wonderful job of convincing me nothing had happened. However, when one person turns into six, you realize there is a definite problem here, something unprofessional and unethical is occuring and it is time to take action.

Ok can we shut this thread down now? Seriously I feel for the victims, thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention, I appreciate and can read both sides of the debate.

But the hatred and hostility on here is too much already. You're all attacking each other like high school girls and not acting like grown women with compassion for both sides of the argument.

It went from being a debate to downright mma fighting.

Enough already

I call B.S. on this "consensual relationship" defense.

I don't know Omar, but based on what his accusers and his defenders have written here, I know what I think of the behavior he has engaged in. It's predatory, manipulative, unethical and dangerous.

Edited July 14, 201412 yr by VSGAnn2014

I think it's important for those who were not following this thread last night to know that many of the Ilan/Omar supporters have edited/removed their inflammatory posts and one supporter has removed her account all together along with her posts.  This thread is MUCH different than it was last night.  

I call B.S. on this "consensual relationship" defense.  

 

I don't know Omar, but based on what his accusers and his defenders have written here, I know what I think of the behavior he has engaged in.  It's predatory, manipulative, unethical and dangerous.  

 

Correct.  If there was even one person who was taken advantage of along the way, it was one too many.  Consensual or not.

 

 

Wow I have just read this thread and I am shocked that in this day and age victims are treated with such hate. I guess that's why they need advocates to speak on their behalf. I may be wrong but from what I have read it appears that this is a warning for those that have not yet had surgery and may be considering having it with this surgeon and coordinator also from what I have read most of the comments have come from past patients and they appear to be a delightful bunch ! All I have to say is if someone contemplating surgery there prepares themselves with this knowledge and decides to be 20% more careful and prevents themselves from becoming victim 7 or 8 then Susan's post was worth it. I'm not saying it did or did not happen but I am saying knowledge is POWER. To the 6 victims my heart goes out to you, hopefully you are getting the help you need and to the lady that spoke out about her situation. You are VERY brave and should be proud of yourself

Wow I have just read this thread and I am shocked that in this day and age victims are treated with such hate. I guess that's why they need advocates to speak on their behalf. I may be wrong but from what I have read it appears that this is a warning for those that have not yet had surgery and may be considering having it with this surgeon and coordinator also from what I have read most of the comments have come from past patients and they appear to be a delightful bunch ! All I have to say is if someone contemplating surgery there prepares themselves with this knowledge and decides to be 20% more careful and prevents themselves from becoming victim 7 or 8 then Susan's post was worth it. I'm not saying it did or did not happen but I am saying knowledge is POWER. To the 6 victims my heart goes out to you, hopefully you are getting the help you need and to the lady that spoke out about her situation. You are VERY brave and should be proud of yourself

Yes I started reading at the beginning before the changes were made and must agree it was bullying at it's finest.

I am constantly reminding myself to quote whomever I am replying to so that if they edit/remove their post, I don't look like the lunatic.

 

 

Wow I have just read this thread and I am shocked that in this day and age victims are treated with such hate. I guess that's why they need advocates to speak on their behalf. I may be wrong but from what I have read it appears that this is a warning for those that have not yet had surgery and may be considering having it with this surgeon and coordinator also from what I have read most of the comments have come from past patients and they appear to be a delightful bunch ! All I have to say is if someone contemplating surgery there prepares themselves with this knowledge and decides to be 20% more careful and prevents themselves from becoming victim 7 or 8 then Susan's post was worth it. I'm not saying it did or did not happen but I am saying knowledge is POWER. To the 6 victims my heart goes out to you, hopefully you are getting the help you need and to the lady that spoke out about her situation. You are VERY brave and should be proud of yourself

Yes I started reading at the beginning before the changes were made and must agree it was bullying at it's finest.

I am constantly reminding myself to quote whomever I am replying to so that if they edit/remove their post, I don't look like the lunatic.

Thanks

Here's what I don't understand -- why does such "fandom" arise around specific surgeons / bariatric centers, to the point that the fandom becomes cultlike?

And by "cultlike" I mean an organization (even a social group) in which criticism or inspection or even questions about a professional person is considered unseemly or disloyal?

I do understand that if "Team Surgeon X" is run by people who get referral fees for signing up patients to book their medical procedures with Surgeon X, they will want to protect Surgeon X's and their own financial interests.

But there's the rub--medicine is BOTH a profession AND a business. And its business aspects should NEVER outweigh medicine's professional obligations. That's the very reason why the professions (all of them) have ethical codes.

In the U.S., the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics applies. See http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics.page. Here's a short excerpt from that Code:

The practice of medicine, and its embodiment in the clinical encounter between a patient and a physician, is fundamentally a moral activity that arises from the imperative to care for patients and to alleviate suffering.

* * *

The relationship between patient and physician is based on trust and gives rise to physicians’ ethical obligations to place patients’ welfare above their own self-interest and above obligations to other groups, and to advocate for their patients’ welfare.

I assume that Mexican doctors and their practices have the same ethical obligations to their patients.

Honestly, I don't know what to make of all of this. I was never a part of the "Omar fan club" but I didn't find him to be unprofessional with me either. There are some that absolutely adore Omar and consider him to be a close friend. I still would recommend Dr. Illan as a surgeon as he was wonderful. I would pause to say that in that recommendation that a woman should not go to a strange country alone to get surgery because you may not be in the capacity to make good medical decisions for yourself. I would have said this before I learned of this situation and would have said it about ANY surgeon out of my country.

I do understand that if "Team Surgeon X" is run by people who get referral fees for signing up patients to book their medical procedures with Surgeon X, they will want to protect Surgeon X's and their own financial interests.

I do not believe anyone in Team Illan receives any type of compensation for referrals. We are just a support group on Facebook. I will speak for myself to say that I do not. I do speak up and support Dr. Illan because I believe that he is a great doctor, nothing more. I tell my story the same as others here. People should hear the good and the bad and make their own decision.