Obesity, Health & 575 Pounds
pic creditI wanted to apologize again for the blog mess up yesterday. For those that did not get to see my first video post and the adorable pics of Sydney, click HERE or just scroll down to yesterday's post. Here I was so excited about my first video post & the site goes down!! UGH!
So, I am curious if any of you heard this story:
"PHOENIX — A 575-pound man who gained a measure of fame as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill – a Phoenix-area restaurant that unabashedly touts its unhealthy, high-calorie menu – has died.
Friends of 29-year-old Blair River say he died Tuesday, possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu.
Restaurant founder Jon Basso tells The Arizona Republic that River was more than the larger-than-life caricature he portrayed in promoting the restaurant in Chandler, which includes huge hamburgers, milkshakes and fries cooked in lard on its menu.(From Jody - see the menu in the pic above)
Basso says River was a creative genius who had been planning to take part in the shooting of a promotional spot called, "Heart Attack Grill: The Musical."
The 6-foot-8 River was an Arizona state heavyweight wrestling champion in 1999."
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As you all know, I am one that wants healthcare for all. I know many bloggers that are overweight yet have good health numbers in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol & the many other "numbers" we get from a blood test & doctor visit yet can't get health insurance due to how much they weigh. I think if a person can pass the health tests even if they are 50 or more pounds overweight, they should be afforded the right for health insurance. I also feel that even if people don't make a lot of money, they should be able to get affordable insurance that actually covers illness & cancer & the many other things that need to be covered by insurance. Insurance should not just be for the rich or our representatives in Washington that do a lot of nothing (well, a lot do a lot of nothing) & have some of the best insurance coverage out there.
What bothered me about this story was the size of this guy, his blatant disregard for his health & more. Yes, we each have the right to chose to live life in the way we see fit event though I prefer to see people at a healthier & fitter weight & lifestyle.
But this sort of rubbed me wrong... all wrong but we do live in a free society. I am just wondering people's thoughts on the abuse of one's body & then the profit making that went along with it. This guy let himself be used but just throwing it out for discussion....
So I am putting it out there - YOUR THOUGHTS?
If you want to read more about the story, here is a bit & read more at the link.
"Blair River, the 575-pound spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill, an Arizona restaurant that serves shamelessly high-calorie burgers and fries, died Tuesday at the age of 29, following a bout of the flu.
At 6 feet 8 inches tall, River garnered celebrity as the grill's "Gentle Giant" when he became the face and advertising star of the medically themed restaurant -- famous for its triple-bypass burgers, flatliner lard fries and server "nurses" donning uniforms fit for adult films.
River came down with the flu last week, and after four days in the hospital, he succumbed to pneumonia, says Jon Basso, owner of the grill and close friend of River .Basso described River's death as "tragic," because he was a "young creative genius, a promising man whose life got cut short because he carried extra weight. Had he been thin, he would have had a tenfold opportunity to survive the pneumonia."
Though Basso goes by "Dr. Jon," in line with the restaurant's medical theme, he is not medically trained and so can't speak to the role obesity might have played in River's illness. The official cause of death for the hamburger model is still unknown.
Medical professionals wouldn't necessarily disagree with this link, however.
"Obesity increases your risk for just about every condition, and it can make nearly every acute health problem worse," says Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine."
Categories: Food, Health Issues, Nutrition, Health, Healthcare Reform, Dieting, Awareness
Tags: health Health Issues heart disease food obesity
This is so sad. =(
I think the beauty in our society is that everyone is so totally different and unique; everyone brings something new to the table, so to speak...Do I agree with the way this poor gentleman chose to live? Absolutely not. But, as you mentioned he was abusing his body with excess weight and food -- yet how many (especially male) bodybuilders are, by conventional standards (ie blood tests, BMI), TOTALLY unhealthy? But it's their right to live that way. Same goes for those cults and very religious groups that don't believe in vaccinations or certain medications...I may not agree with them but I respect their right to harm themselves in whatever way they choose.
WOW that was long-winded. I sincerely hope that others who do not necessarily realize that obesity is a life-threatening condition will look at this young man's tragic story and take steps to save themselves.
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This irritates me always has! I work with someone who takes joy in telling me what he ate for lunch that day (fried and greasy) food. It makes me sick especially since I suffer with Type 1 diabetes and have fought my way out of that he** life.
This is sad that people feel they have to "act" like their okay with their weight and let others influence their eating behaviors in this fashion.
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mainly
wholly
utterly
just plain
SAD.
the loss of a life---no matter the 'cause'
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I don't even know what or how to comment on this. I honestly think this was a young man that for whatever reason thought the "rules" didn't apply to him, and in the end, he paid for it with his life. If he was at a healthier weight, it's possible his heart and body could have battled this ailment much better with a better prognosis. That's why when it comes to losing weight... DO IT FOR YOURSELF!!! Don't become a statistic like this man. Only 29 yrs old. Sad.
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I've seen a show about that restaurant before, it's crazy how open they are that everything is so bad for you there, really. I think everyone knows fast food isn't healthy, but it's not so openly talked about by the owners like this place. I mean bypass burger? That's kind of crazy in itself.
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I don't know if this was "Swine flu" or not,, but morbidly obese individuals who get the flu are 50% more likely to die from it. The massive amount of fat restricts the lungs and compromises immune function.
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I am bothered more by the fact that people are treating his death like a joke. Yes, he ran a restaurant with a lot of processed food, but he died from pneumonia. It doesn't matter to people that he died -they just want to make fun of him and his obesity and the type of restaurant he ran.
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Who do we blame here? Him for eating? The restaurant for serving that food and for maybe reinforcing his eating? Society for buying?
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No matter how you look at it, it's just incredibly sad.
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Health insurance is a touchy topic for me. It seems those of us who take care of ourselves with exercise, eating right and getting major medical issues taken care of are the people getting denied health coverage. What a bunch of BS! I am beginning to think and believe it is not about health at all it is about denial. This man appears to be in some major denial of the consequences he is having on himself and the public. I have hopes we can take care of this in the long run through our actions. Great post for awareness. Thanks Jodi
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