I had bariatric surgery under Mr Awad two months ago, and since then my life has changed more than I could have believed. For the first time in over 15 years, I have welcomed the new year with hope and a sense of excitement. Going into my first meeting with Mr Awad I was extremely nervous; I had said so many negative things to myself about asking for this surgery that I was expecting them from him too. But from the moment I met him I felt at ease; more importantly I felt respected, which I had not expected. I could not have imagined a kinder, more compassionate surgeon and not once during the process of having the appointments and the surgery itself did I feel looked down on or uncomfortable. Mr Awad’s job as a surgeon is a technical and physical one, but I feel that in the case of bariatric surgery it is not just the surgeon’s skill but their approach to you as a person that makes the difference. It is such a personal, difficult procedure to stand in front of someone and ask for, and I don’t believe I would have gone through with the surgery if I had stood in front of someone other than Mr Awad. Mr Awad has saved my life as surely as if he took my hand and led me from the lake I was drowning in, not just physically but in the sense of what life means most – hope, enjoyment, finding worth in myself and the world that is now open to me.