Dear Ann Landers,
have seen many TV talk shows where over-weight people have been guests. On one show, a woman said, "It's my business how much I weigh." These are the people I want to address. Our oldest son had a weight problem most of his life. We tried everything to encourage him to lose weight. Repeatedly he said, "It's my life. I'll do what I want with it." Well, Ann, he did exactly that and died at age 33, weighing 560 pounds. He went into the hospital with what everyone thought was a severe case of the flu. A few days later he developed symptoms of hepatitis, but according to the tests he did not have this illness. The doctors couldn't take X rays because the table wouldn't support anyone who weighed more than 300 pounds. They couldn't do a body scan because he wouldn't fit in the machine. They couldn't do a spinal tap because the nurses were unable to roll him over. Eight people were required to give him a sponge bath-two to hold the bed down so it wouldn't tip over. He was in the hospital less than a month when he died of congestive heart failure and liver and kidney problems. No one should ever experience the helplessness of watching a loved one die because it was "his life to do with as he pleased." I know this pain after watching my son die from overeating. How tragic that all the medical knowledge available couldn't save him. -P.L.W., Colton, Calif.

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