An Alabama pastor hopes to win life-changing bariatric surgery offered by the National Obesity Foundation.
William McCoy II is nominated for a humanitarian award that would provide a second chance at life for him.
McCoy, founding pastor of Greater Destiny Worship Center in Montgomery, was nominated for the award by his brother. He is 5'11", and weighs 570 pounds.
"I've tried dieting and limited exercise without success," McCoy told the Montgomery Advertiser. "My insurance (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama) will not cover the surgery in Alabama. This has left me with few options.
"I hope by winning this award that I can be healthy enough to continue serving the people of the church that I founded and currently pastor, as well as serving the less fortunate."
McCoy said the surgery costs around $14,000, but is medically necessary for him. He is on 13 daily medications for arthritis, high blood pressure, knee pain and other conditions related to his morbid obesity.
He and his brother were raised by their father after their mother passed, and developed poor eating habits early on. The last time he felt normal, he said, was when he was a 170-pound 12-year-old.
"But God made a way," McCoy added. "This has been the major obstacle in my life. I'm just doing what I can to keep going. I'm looking for a second chance to serve people I feel I am called to serve."
The pastor is competing against three women for the humanitarian award and bariatric surgery prize. Votes are tallied on the foundation's Facebook page, and the competition ends April 15. As of Monday, McCoy was in second place.
According to the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation, 70 per cent of US men and 57.6 per cent of women are overweight.
