Classmates Help 510 Pound Teen Get Healthy
February 26, 2014Eric Ekis was once taunted and teased by his peers at school, now some of the those same classmates are helping the 510 pound teen get healthy. After Eric got stuck in a desk, his English teacher, Don Wettrick, approached him about his weight and offered to workout with him. Eric declined. After other issues arose, Mr. Wettrick delved further into the reason behind Eric's weight and found out Eric had seemingly given up after his father had passed away. An accident and several leg surgeries also contributed to Eric's weight climbing to more than 50o pounds.
Eric had given up on himself, but Mr. Wetrrick did not give up on Eric. He enlisted the help of another student, Kevin Stahl, and proposed the idea of helping Eric get healthy as a project for class. The idea worked, Eric and Kevin began walking in the morning. Soon other students joined them and now nearly a dozen students walk 45-minutes every morning. A couple times a week the walk is followed by other exercise such as yoga.
Once invisible, Eric is now an inspiration.
"I was that one kid that always hid from everything," Eric said. "Now that everyone's started helping me, I feel a whole lot better."
Read the full story of Eric's journey.
