My company specifically wrote out Bariatric Surgery from my plan. I have worked for the same company for five years and each year I would pray that they would change their minds and allow WLS. Nothing happened. In 2012 my father passed away from a heart attack, he was only 63. At that point my obesity was making me so uncomfortable I thought that I could be the next one to go. If I lay on my back at night to go to sleep I would wake up with panic attacks that I couldn't breathe. I literally had thoughts that I would go to sleep and not wake up. I kept saying to myself, when you get your WLS your life will change but at the same time I kept eating.

Finally, on November 30th 2013, I began praying the St. Andrew Christmas Novena. For those who aren't Catholic or religious, a novena is a prayer that you say so many times a day or for a number of consecutive days. I am not in the habit of asking God for things for myself. I usually pray for my friends and my family or in thanksgiving for what I have already been blessed with. This time though, after I prayed the novena prayer I asked God to work a miracle in my life that I would be able to afford WLS. I had no savings to speak of, especially not $13400. I prayed the novena faithfully through advent and up to Christmas Eve, each day asking God for intercession in my life. Some days I felt very guilty because my Aunt was dying of lung cancer and I shouldn't be asking for something for myself but for her.

Christmas came and went and my prayer wasn't answered but I was determined that I would get my surgery somehow but I had other things to focus on, like my aunt. My Aunt passed away on January 18th. I delved into the planning of her funeral services which would be held on February 1st. I also decided that I would enter the medically supervised weight loss plan offered by my WLS office. I had my consultation with them, did the H-Pylori testing, and scheduled a time for my first follow up appointment for when I started the diet. I was going to start the diet on 2/3/14.

The day of my Aunt's funeral came. The service was very nice, I was able to sing the Psalm without being too overwhelmed and gave her Eulogy since her own children were so devastated by her loss.

My Dad's side of the family came to the funeral to pay their respects. Afterward my grandfather asked to speak to me and my brothers. What came next was the shock of my life. My sweet Grandpa who loved us all very much and would send us small tokens of $20 in birthday cards, seemingly out of the blue, gifted my brothers and myself with $14,000 each. There is no question in my mind that this was the answer to my Novena prayer, that Grandpa was inspired by God to gift us a portion of our inheritance so that he could see us enjoy it while he was alive. I cried. It was just enough to have my surgery. It was the most profound feeling, God had heard me, He listened to my prayer, He said yes!

I started the iMetabolic Diet as scheduled with a new found vigor as I knew that I would be getting my surgery. I lost 23lbs by my 1st appointment 17 days later. I scheduled my surgery for March 12th, 2014. The day of surgery I had lost 38lbs. Since surgery I am down 60 more. Every day I am driven by thankfulness, to my grandfather for his gift, but even more so to our Heavenly Father for his intervention in my life.

I know there are skeptics who would think that this is just coincidental, and I say believe what you will. And I will continue to recognize God's intervention in my life.