The Horror of the Half Ton Dad!

I’m not sure if anyone else saw this documentary last night on Channel 4 but I can positively say this was one story that shocked me to my bones!

At a massive 73-stone, Kenneth Brumley has been confined to his bed for four years! His daily intake of 30,000 calories is the same as a regular-sized man eats in two weeks.

According to experts people who weigh over 40 stone are classed as ‘super’ morbidly obese. So you can just imagine how huge this guy is!

Now I’m a girl who loves her food. I can always manage a second helping and squeeze in a dessert. I am a self confessed binge eater and I feel the deep guilt after having a Big Mac Meal! But these all seem minute issues compared to what this man has, and can consume on a daily basis.

He says: “I’d wake up and get chili cheese fries for breakfast. “It’s basically fast food 24 hours a day, seven days a week” “That and a case of super-strength lager.

I mean I know that on the whole men can eat more than us women, but to this extent…? Which leads me to question why and how?

How can someone let their weight gain get to the point where it’s impossible to move? You would think friends and family would step in! I mean don’t get me wrong I have huge sympathy for this guy! It’s horribly sad and upsetting to think that there are people living in the developed world eating themselves to death through choice- yet just as shockingly ironic that there are people starving through no choice of their own!

Why are psychiatrists not called upon in the early stages? Someone who gains such horrendous amounts of weight must suffer with underlying issues? Are his family responsible for continuing to feed him the junk-food that ultimately caused this?

One thing that really get’s my goat is that the producers of these programmes never delve into the causes of such issues. In essence this documentary would have been relatively cheap to make, however the popularity of them are immense! Voyeurism is a part of our daily lives these days. And with the pressing issues of the ‘obesity epidemic’ this programme was always going to be a huge hit. Why would they bother to interview a psychiatrist to explain the reasons as to why people allow such enormous weight-gain to continue? It’s too expensive… right? I mean the price this guy and his family are having to pay is nothing in comparison… right?

Eventually Kenneth was awarded the chance of a gastric by-pass, however first needed an operation to remove 15 stone of fatty tumors around his legs. I can’t help but think too little too late.

I like to think that I live my life with an open-mind and that no matter how baffling the world is, some sense can always be made of most situations. But this man, this father, this husband… does he and his family have a right to excuse themselves? By over-eating this man has endangered his life. He has risked letting his children grow up without a father. He has put a strain on the healthcare system and the fire service that had to remove him from his bed. Like I said in my opinion there must be underlying issues surrounding this family. Whether it was just mere ignorance I’m unsure, and it saddens me that we’ll probably never know.