my first blog ever

Sep 22, 2010

where to start, where to start???  My name is Lisa.  I am the mother of itsweezybaby (Grace).  We are currently awaiting insurance approval for her to have gastric bypass surgery.  I say "we" because first, it's my insurance that she is covered under, and second and most important, I feel as though I am taking every step right there along with her through this journey. 

My Grace is now 19, soon to be 20.  She has had an issue with her weight from the time she was four.  Essentially, she has no idea what it is like to be "normal."  Through the years, we have been to doctors, endocrinologists, nutritionists, psychiatrists, counselors, you name it, we tried it.  Just as she is learning to become comfortable in her own skin and to love herself despite the weight and how society views her, she has come to the grim realization that her weight will be her end.  This gastric bypass is not viewed as a cosmetic need for her.  She views it as a lifeline.  Don't get me wrong, all the cosmetic and social things that she will experience are well anticipated also, but she knows that, without drastic intervention, she will most likely never have a child and will most likely die in her early adult life. 

What is so sad about the whole social aspect of being morbidly obese is that people refuse to get to know Grace.  Worse, they stare and openly harass her.  School was a nightmare.  She was being bullied due to her weight.  I was actually told that, if she were being bullied about her race, sex, sexual orientation, or religion, the school could intervene.  They could not and would not intervene with a child being bullied for being "fat."  Ignorance breeds ignorance. 

Some people have looked past her size and have gotten to know Grace for the kind, loving and compassionate person that she is.  She works with handicapped adults and is going to college to get into a field working with these individuals.  God has blessed her with a gift of being able to understand and communicate with people with Downs Syndrom in a way that is astonishing. 

Grace has the backing of her father, brother, sister-in-law and friends in this undertaking.   We are so blessed.  We just continue to pray that God will continue to open doors for us and allow this to be approved by the insurance.

0 Comments