Can you please share with me????

Hi Friends, first let me thank you all for being so helpful to me in my journey. It's hard to imagine that it's been almost 4 years since my surgery! I have been developing a lecture regarding the insensitivity of the public towards the obese. I am doing this for several reasons.....to educate healthcare workers, to lobby for obesity discrimination to be prohibited by the ADA, to educate the public at large to the plight of this last socially acceptable bastion of open and rampant discrimination, etc. Right now all I have to go on is my own experience and I was wondering if you could help me to help others by sharing your experiences with me. I know it might be painful but maybe with all of us putting forth an effort it will be worth it in the end. I'll go first and share one of my most hurtful experiences. When I weighed 263 I interviewed for a job as a receptionist at a popular radio station. Because it was for a receptionist position, the interviews were all done over the phone. You mailed or faxed in your resume and then everything was done over the phone so they could evaluate your phone skills and dealing with the public. I made it all the way down to the final two applicants and was invited in for a meeting with the president. Even at 263 pounds I took great pains with my appearance and fixed my hair and makeup and wore nice, professional clothing. I arrived at the office and saw that the other applicant was a tiny lady who was very pretty. When the president came out he literally looked at me first and then looked at her. He walked up to me, shook my hand, told me he didn't think they had anything for me and hoped I hadn't been inconvenienced by coming in. He then took the other lady by the hand and ushered her into his office. I almost felt sorry for her. He was practically drooling over her. I left the office in a conflicted mess. I was happy that I didn't have to work for an ignorant man like that. But, I was devastated because he had totally discounted my intelligence and my abilities because I was morbidly obese. I felt worthless. I was too ashamed to tell my family what happened and I lied to them and said I'd had a great interview but he must've like the other lady better. It wasn't until I'd had WLS that I shared this experience with them. The really terrible thing about this is that this scenario and worse is played out over and over each day with morbidly obese individuals. Can you share your experiences with me? I know I'm only one person and I don't expect to change the world but I figure even the mighty oak started out as one little nut. So, this little nut is seeking your help. Thanks again for being a wonderful, supportive WLS family!

You might add to your lecture about how embarassing it is to go into any office ( doctors included) and try to find a place to sit. Almost all the offices have chairs that have arms. If you ar really big like me, you have to stand and that not good either. I can't stand very long at a time. To have to ask for a chair without arms is so embarresing.

Hi Rona, let me tell you what was really imbarressing for me. I had taken a trip to Las Vagas with a couple of my girl friend's, on the way there and back I flew on a buddy pass with one of my friend's. On the way down I felt big in the seat but not to the point I was horrified, but on the return trip the plane was packed with people, my seat was right in the middle of skinny young adults and they all looked at me and snickered. I was fighting to get my seat belt around me, I looked back to my friend and spotted a young thin girl beside my friend, I felt so paniced that I ask the girl to change seats with me. The girl looked shocked but agreed to change seats with me. I felt some relief being closer to my friend but had problems getting the seat belt fasten and my friend told me they had extensions for the belts, I thought oh my Gosh NO! How did I ever allow my self to get this big? I felt like I wanted to dash off the plan, but where would I go! Just then a very nice flight attendent came bye she gave me a nice smile touch my shoulder and said, we will have a nice flight. I'll never forget that angel. P.S. I think the seat's get smaller toward's the back of the plane. Tink-tee