Awful News :-(
Michelle on Jul 05 2008 at 8:20 pm | Filed under: The Stories
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I’m so angry/sad right now. I found out last night that the wife of one of my colleagues died. She was one of those women who looked perfect at all times. I felt jealous of her and of her size 6 wardrobe. She had a great sense of humor. Her death was a surprise.
It was caused by complications of a prior gastric bypass surgery. I never knew she used to be fat. What a price she paid in her efforts to fit into this this town.
We have billboards everywhere advertising bariatric surgery, laser hair removal, facelifts, the works. This is a town of 30,000, so it seems a little much. But, appearances are everything here.
This woman leaves behind 9 year old twins with chronic health problems, her husband (who just transferred to another school district–what a time to start a new job), and a 16 year old son, whom I taught when he was in 7th grade. He’s a sweet kid–all the kids are–and my heart just breaks for this family.
I need to go to the viewing to show my support. I hate viewings. I don’t want to see someone dead. I feel so bad that this whole thing happened. It is so tragic in so many ways.
The thing is, people shouldn’t have to have surgery to fit in here. People shouldn’t have to feel the need to look perfect. I wish our town made people feel welcome and loved regardless of which hairdresser they use. Really.
I know several other people who have had gastric bypass surgery in my town. This is weird, since I didn’t even know one person who had had it in Austin, and I knew a lot more people there. Three of the people I know who have had it have been hospitalized in the past year for problems related to it. One of the people who I know who has had it is my new principal. She seems to be doing fine.
I’m just so upset about this whole thing. I also want to know who the woman’s doctor was. She was treated for an intestinal blockage when it was a kink in her intestines. The blood supply got cut off and it got all horrible–she died of septic shock.
Lawsuit?
I just don’t know what else to say about this.
That’s terrible, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s amazing how in the smaller towns the pressure to fit in and meet certain “specifications” can be even more powerful than in the larger metropolitan areas.
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That is both insane about the popularity of the surgery in your small town and so tragic what has happened to one woman in her pursuit of a perfect body. Something is way messed up somewhere.
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I have heard bad things about the effects of that surgery. I think it’s a sad commentary on our society that it’s the new “fix” for what isn’t perfect–and who IS perfect anyway?
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It really bugs me that women are all trying to look *exactly the same* when beauty is actually about being distinctive.
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My sister-in-law is having bariatric surgery this month — and she is not even FAT. Just a little chubby, nothing out of the ordinary. I can’t believe that doctors agree to do surgery for people who aren’t extremely over-weight. Is this becoming the new “Botox?” Pretty scary. (And sad).
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Oh, how sad. It’s too bad, since the surgery is supposed to be life-saving for some. Risks with everything, I suppose. Makes me think twice about those bad feelings I have about certain “perfect” people… everyone has their pain and histories.
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