Many people are aware of the common health risks that are associated with obesity, like strokes, diabetes, heart attacks, etc.
Today we are looking at the less obvious ones, the ones that may compromise your health care or even prove fatal in the event you need to be rescued from a fire, flash flood, or other disaster.
Here’s the main concept, if you are very over weight or morbidly obese, it is very difficult for first responders to lift, move, or carry you away from a dangerous situation.
Recently there was a tragic house fire in our city where two morbidly obese people died.
Did their size and weight directly lead to their deaths?
That is not know at this time; but I have talked with First Responders about this type of situation numerous times in the past, and the consensus is that it is extremely difficult to extricate a 400 or 500 lb person during an emergency.
If a person does survive the emergency, later, their sheer size and weight make it harder for health care providers to lift them or transfer during their daily treatments.
Many people can barely lift and carry a person of normal weight, much less one who is two or three times their size.
Getting to a healthy body weight is possible for most anyone with some discipline and hard work.
The Cave 