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Desi's Body Contouring Surgery

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I'd like to tell you a story about my best friend. Her name is Desiree Richards and she has overcome nearly every obstacle in her life she has faced. Her mother passed away from complications of lupus when Desi was a very young girl. From then on, Desi has had a constant battle to overcome many trials that many will never endure in a lifetime. She has been in foster care, she has been a

ward of the state,  she has been in court custody battles, she was taken out of the home when she was young and was appointed to her grandparents. Life as a child, a teen, and a young adult was very very hard for Desiree, and through her trials she slowly became her own worst enemy....  During the mental and physical trauma she endured while growing up, Desi began to turn to food. She ate when she was mad, happy, sad, and it slowly became her addiction and it was something she could finally control. She was in complete control of her food. However, through the years of binge eating, she was slowly on the verge of death. The binge eating had become her silent killer, as all other aspects of her life were falling into place. She was a very successful student, earning several degrees, including an AA in Bible, BA in Counseling, Masters in Social Work and became  a Licensed Master Social Worker. She was living a very educated life, however the food she thought she had control over, had complete control over her! Desi had almost reached 400 pounds and her physical health was starting to spiral downward into a deep mental depression. She couldn't fly on an airplane, movies were very hard to attend, even driving her car became a stressful task,  daily walking also became a chore.  Many friends, including myself, tried to help Desi several times with different diets and trendy weight loss fads.....but it wasn't until she was ready to help herself, that her weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey began.......  It hasn't been easy for Desi the past 2 years but her life has trained her to keep fighting, and never give up! She has not only kept her weight off, she feels led to help others who may be going through the same obese life she had lived most of her life. Desi is the most unselfish person I have ever known. She is always willing to devote herself and her time to anything or anyone in need.  She chose her career path not by the income she would recieve but by being educated to help people in their trials and time of need.  But today, with her near 230 pound weight loss, Desi is left with a constant reminder of her past and her former body as she has quite possibly over ten pounds of extra skin covering her stomach, arms, legs and back.  Desi is a candidate for extra skin removal surgery, medical term is known as skin contouring surgery, however this is an extremely expensive surgery and one that is not normally covered under insurance. Due to Desi's current financial situation she is not able to cover the expense of the surgery or the missed income during the recovery process of the surgery. Her college liability along with her living expenses, has limited Desi financially.  If you have ever been in a position to 'Pay it Forward' , would you or someone you know, be willing to help me out to help Desi out to continue her fight! I would be happy to answer any questions you may have or if you would like to see more pictures of the extra skin that is covering Desi as it is very disheartening and discouraging for her after all the hard work she has endured to regain her health. Thank you in advance for helping me help Desi, I can't think of anyone more worthy than her!! God Bless you all. . .

Organizer

Stacia McGriff
Organizer
New Sharon, IA

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