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Ask Amy: Friend struggles to respond to #metoo accusation

Amy Dickinson, Tribune Content Agency on

Today would have been my cousin’s daughter’s 40th birthday.

Unfortunately, we lost her last year. The cause? She was morbidly obese, which in medical terms is over 100 pounds overweight.

There is a reason this condition is called “morbid;” the health outcome is very poor.

My cousin was a beautiful, delightful, bright young woman with a great job, many friends and a family who loved her.

She once remarked that she would only lose weight if her doctor told her she would die if she didn’t.

While her doctor did try and treat her high blood pressure, she ignored his recommendations.

I believe if she clearly understood the health risk she was taking by being so overweight, she would have done something about it.

I don’t believe in shaming anyone because it usually only leads to estrangement.

However, medical professionals need to convey the very serious risk of obesity.

 

Today, we are grieving the loss of someone who left far too soon, with an entirely treatable condition.

I hope this helps someone else today.

– Grieving Cousin

Dear Grieving: Thank you for this tribute. I hope your account of your family’s loss proves a wake-up call for suffering people, as well as for their physicians.

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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)

©2021 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


 

 

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