I thought… only two options??? As neither of these fit with the life I planned to have for myself. The reality was that no matter how terrible the options, they were the only two that I had. That said, my family and I prayed and decided to go with the surgery.

Weeks leading up to the surgery, I worried a lot, my nerves were bad. I had to release the pessimistic thoughts and mentally prepare myself for the procedure… I tried to focus on the positive things in my life / post-surgery. Additionally, I spent time listening to spiritual motivational messages from pastors such as T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, and Joel Osteen; including praying with close family and friends.

Todays the Day… The morning of… there were many things going through my mind…  Will the surgery work?… Will I make it through? … Does the doctor know what he’s doing? How can he… after all he was a veterinarian (pet Doctor), before he made the switch to a medical doctor (MD).  Even with those thoughts rushing through my mind, the fact was that this surgery was happening today, whether I was ready or not.

Its game time- I’m on the gurney… The last image I seen was my mother’s expression; she looked worried. But I remember God had my back and he wasn’t finished with me yet.

There were complications…  14 hours later

Post-surgery I learned the physicians gave up twice. Due to challenges they faced removing the tumor.

BUT GOD… he had another plan.

The tumor was successfully removed from my brain.

I praised God and celebrated with my family. It was OVER. No more problems. #RoadToRecovery… However, post-surgery there were additional unplanned challenges I faced. I didn’t recognize anyone for an entire week; including my immediate family, that was a frightening moment in my life. This symptom eventually passed, doctors were stunned with my progression.

Oh wait… just when WE thought it was over and #RoadToRecovery was solid. BOOM… a blood vessel burst, and I had to have ANOTHER SURGERY ☹ I was devastated… I asked the same questions WHY ME.

My mom and I cried. At this moment we were totally overwhelmed and couldn’t handle the pressure. The thought of having to go back under the knife was beyond frightened. But we trusted god was going to make a way.

God showed out… It was another success!

#RoadToRecovery was going to take another 6-7 months get my body back “normal”.  The road to complete recovery was still extremely difficult. I was unable to control the left side of my body…I couldn’t even smile. After 7 months my facial structure finally returned to normal.

At 19 years old… I had to be taught to walk again. The yearlong #RoadToRecovery took me from a wheelchair to a walker, then a walker to a cane, etc. Then by the grace of God I’m standing on my own two feet.

Afterall, #RoadToRecovery was finally over and I was fully recovered. I’m still deaf in my left ear but that didn’t stop me from seeking my dream. I aspired to help people overcome their fears.  In 2012, I began to get back into the groove of transforming m y body.

In fact, I started my own health and fitness company. Krytical Fitness LLC.  My company is designed to remove the mental limits that people place on themselves when making a lifestyle change. Krytical Fitness uses a mixture of old school strength and conditioning, plyometrics, and a hint of full body training. Why plyometrics? This technique allows your muscles to exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of weight loss, increasing power, and increasing strength.

Since the fruition of Krytical Fitness, my client list has gone from 4 clients to 100+ clients per week. At Krytical Fitness, we’ve seen successful results from my clients through specialize workout regimen (i.e. Hard-work and Dedication).

At a young age… nobody ever believes they would experience that level of pain, fear and uncertainty. Since I was blessed with my breakthrough. I was determined to help others overcome extremely difficult things in life and encourage them to persevere through the storm.

Without my support system (i.e. God, Family, and Friends), I would have never recovered as well as I did. My goal as a health and fitness instructor is to help people become the best they can be, both physically and mentally. The journey to weight loss is not just about physical hard work. Your mindset has a lot to do with your success. I choose to help people feel comfortable with who they are and are becoming.

That’s Krytical Fitness way!

By Darius Bailey aka Mr. Krytical