That's what really started the dominoes falling. So in the last five to seven years, you see this geometric increase in the volumes across the country.

The death rate in this country from gastric bypass surgery is probably all less than 1 percent. But if you stratify that by ages of patients, risk class of patients and then also the surgeon's (years of) experience, then there are groups that are at a higher risk.

It's sort of that perfect storm, where several things happened relatively at the same time.

Originally, I prayed for an increase in attendees. We started with only five people and now that there's near 100, it feels real. It is real.

I started working when I was seven and I was working for five dollars a night at the Met.

I find so many opportunities to fall, to falter, and fail when I refuse to surrender to change. Change will come into my room and rearrange my tidy world. Then like dominoes, one things changed falls upon another until it feels like the world is collapsing around me. But when I yield, when I surrender to the necessary change, I can stand back and look at the beautiful picture created by what seemed to be my world falling apart.