Unnecessary Loss

Cover of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

I am watching a show called "My 600lb Life." I feel compelled to write about this, and my feelings that have been brought up after watching this show. This particular episode had to do with an individual who is severely obese, and weighs in excess of six-hundred pounds. The show documented the struggles that he went through, and what caused him to send his life in this direction. He was once a a successful singer, and had every opportunity in the world, but things took a turn for the worse and he started to become what some call "an emotional eater." Due to the weight he gained, his career as a singer, and his social life ceased. Through the show he was able to have gastric-bypass performed so that he would be able to get within a normal weight range. This type of operation involves the cutting of the stomach, making the volume smaller. This in turn makes the body feel full quicker, and less food to be consumed. The operation was a success, but soon after he fell victim to a degenerative muscular disease that caused him to be bed bound for almost six years. The question I raise is "could this all have been avoided?" He was such a positive individual, and his life seemed to be turning around, then suddenly with body turns on him and their is nothing he can do about it. Another story that is similar to this is the one about "IZ," or Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. He was an American born musician from Hawaii that through his music tried to unite his people, and stop gang violence among the Hawaiian youth. He was also an individual with obesity, and due to medical complications died prematurely in life at only the age of thirty-eight. It saddens me to hear about such kind hearted individuals dying, or becoming severely disabled because of obesity.

I am writing about this because I feel as though it is my duty as a future teacher to instill within the youth the skills necessary to be healthy individuals. I feel as though the loss of such good people could avoided if only this knowledge was presented to them. Of course their are underlined issues other than poor eating that are involved with obesity, such as genetics, and mind set, but knowledge is an important preventative measure. My wish would be for every child I teach to know a way in which to improve their life in a healthy manner. Then for them to go and teach another the tools I taught to them as to how and be a healthy individual. If knowledge was able to spread in this manner then I believe that this saddening loss of life could be avoided, and we would not have to lose such positive and influential people.