Just a side note-that when he addressed us Sunday morning he wanted to let us know he expects to be addressing us again in October-and we were not to consider his remarks any form of an obituary!!! He makes me laugh, he is so sharp. Yes, he is pale and wan and thinner than he was before-I have heard from my bishop that he had a cancerous tumor removed from his intestinal system-no more details. He hinted that his doctors say there is more to do, so I expect he will be going through radiation/ chemo, which will be awful for him.....How outstanding that in his 95 years, this was his first hospitalization!!! I truly love that man, and I believe that the Lord will take him when the time is right, and not a moment before. I pray for him daily and hope that we do hear from him again in October! ~lynn

I attended the young women's general broadcast with my daughter on Saturday night 3-25-2006. 15 minutes after the broadcast began, we lost all the power in not only our town but multiple counties in our state of Idaho. Unbeknownst to us in the chapel, there was a HUGE storm going on outside. A storm with heavy rain, horrendous winds, even some snow. Those of us inside the chapel watching the broadcast, had no idea of the conditions outside. We thought that maybe the power outage was a temporary condition and the broadcast would resume momentarily. Remember this broadcast was for teenage girls and their mothers. Being in a pitch black chapel didn't necessarily mean they could maintain reverence. I got the inspiration to start singing. I turned to another mother next to me and we started singing "I am a child of God". Soon all the girls joined in. When we finished, someone else started a new song. Most of the songs we sang were primary hymns but there were a few ward hymns as well. There was a couple times I was quiet so I could just listen to the beautiful voices in the dark. It sounded like what I imagined the angels in heaven's singing must sound like. It was absolutely the most spiritual and beautiful experience we could have had. The time went very quickly until someone with a lighted watch told us the time. It was after the broadcast was scheduled to be over. Even if the power was restored the broadcast would have ended. We had a closing prayer and everyone went home. We may have missed the broadcast but we certainly didn't miss the spirit. It was priceless. Just as a sidenote - the power was out for 11 hours. The storm which we missed because we were inside was that bad. The spirit inside the chapel was that good. Melody

Hey Christy, What's up with an LDS only group? Our issues with weight loss are universal. I've organized 4 support groups and continue to facilitate one group twice a month as well as 2 additional on-line support groups. I have had the most amazing missionary experiences. My WLS friends have become my greatest pals and many have spent time with us at church; followed by a protein laden Sunday meal. A couple of days ago I was bashed by a new girl on our state board for my religion. She said that she would NOT attend an event (I've organized a WLS Spring Fling aka as Post-Op Prom and will be having it at our Stake Center) because of where it was being held. She went on to describe us as a "cult" and about how evil we are and how we force our children into sex at an early age....yada yada yada. I just responded with a simple "maybe you should watch Bambi again and take Thumper's message to heart...and perhaps you could consider educating yourself about a religion before you ba**** with untruths"....then I sat back and withdrew from the thread. But, my hundreds of non-member friends had things to say to this poor lady. They went on and on about how I had set such a great example blah blah blah and that they would be Mormon's if they were going to be anything and one gal even said that she had read the Book of Mormon that I"d given her and knew for sure that it was NOT a cult. The thing is; I didn't even remember giving her a BoM and so it was useful to know that this gal was definitely ready for the little missionaries to knock on her door. Anyway....it was an interesting bunch of posting that ended very positive. I sent the orginal cult poster a note that it was all behind me and that we'd love to have her join back on the support boards.......Just a thought about including good people in your group. I know an LDS only group would be a comfortable place to be and maybe that's your main goal. I understand that. Starting one? Get 3 committed friends who will share the long commitment involved in the project. Start a yahoo website. Flood the O.H. boards with information after you secure a location (can't be a Church building); (hospitals have conference rooms available if you let them know it is a "support" based group that will NOT charge anyone anything)......Decide on a consistent time/day ahead of time. Put in the newspaper and make some flyers to leave at your surgeon's office and your pcp's office......Word of mouth usually takes care of the rest. You might ask your surgeon's program and the other one's in the area if you can leave a flyer to go in their pre-surgery teaching packets. Let me know if you need any ideas for teaching material or group formatting! Good Luck! It's a great journey; and one that I continue to work hard on. I'm on day 5 of a carb detox and push to get rid of my regain. I hope to be "back" at goal by the Women's Conference! Hugggz, Joyce (Chandler, AZ) -143 @ 3+ years post-op (open proxy Rny)

Christy, What a wonderful idea. You get that done and then when you move to Vancouver you will know all about how to get it done here too. You have inspired me to think about things I have not thougth about before. such as a tummy tuck later. Well, I guess that is getting ahead of myself. I am still waiting on Insurance coverage. I will be so glad when this years tax season is over. I am so tired. I get up tired in the morning. This week we had a death in the ward and soooooooooo being in the Relief Society Pres. I will be helping serve the dinner afterward. You know I am glad to serve and don't mind that part at all. It is just that my time is so shot during tax season. Well have a good weekend everyone. I check this boasrd daily to see what is going on. Barbara

Patty Original Post by Loraine May at 8:47 AM EST on 03/22/2006 Byesville, OH - RNY (05/06/2005) - Dean J. Mikami, M.D. I want to thank those of you who are still sending items for me to pass along to Patty and her brother. You have no idea how much this has meant to her and Leonard. Also cards of support and encouragement are still very much welcome and can be sent to me and I will get them to her. Personal care items such as diaper wipes, facial cleansing clothes, gold bond powder, deoderant ( his and hers) dish towels,wash clothes. bath towels, paper towels are still needed. To those of you who sent clothes to her and Leonard, I can never thank you enough and if you could see how tickled she gets every time I take a box down you would know this has all been worth while. And this couldnt have come at a better time in their life. !!!! Thank you all again Love and hugs Laura