On a beautiful April morning in 2001, Pamela Hansen decided to do something she hadn’t done for a very long time. She decided to take a walk. Fearful that she would not be able to take more than a few steps with her morbidly obese body, she was desperate to focus her attention on something other than the tragedies of her life-the death of an infant daughter, the cruel and debilitating autoimmune diseases that attacked two other children, and finally the stillbirth of a son just a few weeks earlier. That first walk, which lasted just 10 minutes, was the beginning of an amazing journey that ultimately led to a 100-pound weight loss (without surgery or pills) and the fulfillment of a dream to run a marathon.

In Running with Angels, Pam shares both her struggles and her success, using the marathon race as a metaphor for facing life’s challenges. She candidly discusses the pain of living with obesity and the hopelessness that accompanies it. More important, she offers practical suggestions for anyone trying to reach a goal, particularly a goal of weight loss, and shows how small steps over time can help you realize your dreams.

Pam’s remarkable story was also featured in the April 2006 issue of First Magazine.