Why did I get so upset?

[Guest guest]

One of the things that I notice more than anything now is overweight

people struggling to walk or get in their cars....I want to run up

and say " Hey, I have the answer " . I know that I can't. I know what I

would have done if someone did that to me when I was overweight.

Yesterday, I had the weirdest thing happen. My team from work was out

of town doing a " TEAMBUILDING " and we were at lunch. I was looking

out the window and saw this REALLY OBESE lady standing in front of

the window leaning up against a poll resting and I started to cry. My

team thought I was NUTS. My friend sitting next to me must have seen

the lady out the window too and said " She is just have a THANK YOU "

moment. Several of the team members went " WHAT?? " and she said (Thank

Goodness she did, cause by this time I was BALLIN' LIKE A

BABY) " Sharon has just been reminded what her life was like this time

last year and is Thankful for what it is now " . Why did I get so upset

this time? I have seen lots of people who are overweight or OBESE in

the last year. I have thought to myself many times, I wonder if they

know about WLS....Why this time? And Yes, I am truly grateful for WLS

and what it has done for me and my family.

[Guest guest]

Sharon:

Thank you for your post! Yesterday, at my primary care doctor's

office, I saw a man who was severely MO. My doctor, his nurse, and a

few others in the office were practically celebrating in the

examination room while I was going over how much things have improved

over the last year, and the nurse said something very complimentary

to my wife out in the waiting room. Then, I walked out into the

waiting room to see this poor guy, hobbled, both legs wrapped, on

crutches, looking miserable, weighing at least 550 pounds, and this

broke my heart. My wife said to me on the way out to the car " Don't

you just want to tell him? " , but like so many others have said, I

just answered, saying " I know, but we can't, because if someone had

said anything to me, I would not have received it. I would have told

them to pound sand because I did not think that there was anything

wrong with me " .

It is so hard not to start thinking of morbidly obese people who are

not part of our support groups as " them " . Recently, I asked my

nutritionist if she saw " normal people " . She reminded me that I

am " normal people " . The funny part is that I am a Social Role

Valorization Theory teacher, helping people in devaulued social

classes (such as people with disabilities) attain valued social

roles, and here I am placing myself in a devalued " abnormal " role!

Even knowing better, I did this!

The first time I went to Old Country Buffet a few months post-op, I

ended up nearly in tears seeing people in the same prison that I was

in. All I know to do is to pray for them. It is hard to keep quiet.

Does it get any easier?

Thanks for sharing this, Sharon. I know where you are coming from!

God bless,

Joe

<><

> One of the things that I notice more than anything now is

overweight

> people struggling to walk or get in their cars....I want to run up

> and say " Hey, I have the answer " . I know that I can't. I know what

I

> would have done if someone did that to me when I was overweight.

> Yesterday, I had the weirdest thing happen. My team from work was

out

> of town doing a " TEAMBUILDING " and we were at lunch. I was looking

> out the window and saw this REALLY OBESE lady standing in front of

> the window leaning up against a poll resting and I started to cry.

My

> team thought I was NUTS. My friend sitting next to me must have

seen

> the lady out the window too and said " She is just have a THANK YOU "

> moment. Several of the team members went " WHAT?? " and she said

(Thank

> Goodness she did, cause by this time I was BALLIN' LIKE A

> BABY) " Sharon has just been reminded what her life was like this

time

> last year and is Thankful for what it is now " . Why did I get so

upset

> this time? I have seen lots of people who are overweight or OBESE

in

> the last year. I have thought to myself many times, I wonder if

they

> know about WLS....Why this time? And Yes, I am truly grateful for

WLS

> and what it has done for me and my family.