My plastic surgery story

Written by Kellen Kenlyn Nakaye

On June/12/2023, I watched a YouTube video that narrated a story of a young woman who died in the process of a BBL surgery. I couldn’t help but reminisce on the times in my own life when I hoped to one day do plastic surgery. I really hated the way I physically appeared compared to other girls and when I watched those botched TV shows, I was always looking forward to when it would be my time to be on the bench. Since I was young and did not have that kind of money, I let the thought slip.

Fast forward a couple of years later when I took part in beauty pageants, I started to reconsider the thought. The not-so-aesthetic appearance of my eyes was pointed out by a chaperone as one of the things that put me at a disadvantage to win the competition. For various other reasons, I ended up not winning and I walked away with this self-hatred re-ignited.

Eventually, when I got the first job that offered me medical insurance, my eyes were the first thing I thought to utilize it for. I went on to spend six weeks at the eye clinic where they were doing tests on my eyes to examine how my vision would be affected after the surgeries. I had to wear prisms and patches for hours and sometimes miss out on work because the prisms were giving me double vision. At the end of the examinations, that eye specialist told me I would need three surgeries and the results would be either a slight improvement, a worse outcome, or no change a all. She then told me to go home and think about it and when I was ready, I could call in and set my surgery appointment.

I had now got my chance to get fixed yet, surprisingly, I was not as excited. I kept thinking of the probability of something going wrong during the surgery that would cause me to lose my sight. How exactly would I approach God to ask him for healing from blindness when I took perfectly functioning eyes to be cut up so that I can achieve a certain aesthetic appearance? I asked my mum (now late) about it and she said she didn’t even see any issue with my eyes.

Not convinced that I should drop the surgery, I went to ask God about it.  I prayed, “Should I go ahead with this procedure?” In response, he asked, “What is the function of your eyes?” I thought to myself, “To see”. Again I heard his voice in my mind asking, “How is your vision?” and I thought to myself, “20 by 20 vision!”Then I clearly had His voice tell me to not go ahead with it. I was so at peace, never called the clinic to set the appointment, and never have I ever felt the urgency to see through that surgery.

Nevertheless, my eyes were not the only part of me that I desired to risk going under the knife for. I just hadn’t come across the clinics that would work on those other parts of me here at home and let alone the money it would cost. I kept watching those plastic surgery TV shows, being blown away by the successful operations and picking my inspiration for when I can ever afford one of those BBLs, Nose Job, etc.

A time came when I got enamoured with pursuing the purpose of my life. I always knew I had a service to render to the LORD but I had got so caught up with trying to earn the comforts of life, getting involved in one too many ventures that were just time wasting and giving no satisfactory results that I didn’t really care about what my true potential was. So One day, I asked God what I could do with my life. Immediately, I started to desire to pursue leadership, seek out what I am truly passionate about and the gifts/ talents I could use to add value to others.

With that enlightenment, I stopped hating my body and started to appreciate it for what I can accomplish with it. Being more in tune with the fact that my life has a purpose to serve, I have become less interested in trying to cut myself up to fit a stereotype and more accepting of the fact that God crafted me fit for my purpose and that is the truth for you too. God does not make any mistakes. He fearfully and wonderfully made every single one of us (Psalm 139:14).

Further more, God calls everything he made very good.

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. – Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)

So do not let the standards of this world cause you to put your life at a risk in order to fit in. You are made fit for the purpose your maker created you for. Find it out today and if you need some help, come be apart of the FOCUS COURSE which I designed to support you on your self-discovery Journey.

Related: Why it Matters to discover your Life’s purpose