Chapter 9
Appendix E—Instagram Post
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Emmett Truesdale
California boy. Aspiring educator. Burrito connoisseur. Author of The True Me, a blog of weight loss realness and finding myself.
etruesdale94
Chula Vista, California
PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Selfie of participant no. 82941 in the exam room of a medical office, grimacing at the camera. On the wall in the background is a poster about diabetes.
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etruesdale94 As a person of size, it can feel like the specter of chronic illness is all around you.
On TV, on social media, even in the doctor’s office, you’re constantly being fed messages (no pun intended) that diabetes and heart disease are coming for you, and when they finally get you, it’ll be your fault for eating all those Big Macs and Krispy Kreme donuts.
It’s constant, it’s frightening, it’s probably something you’d rather not think about. It’s the monster under the bed and the elephant in the room.
I’ll be honest: I’m terrified of getting diabetes, even though it doesn’t run in my family and I’m not high risk because of my ethnicity.
I don’t know when the fear developed. It was a gradual process, I guess, a slow accumulation like the fat on my body.
A different kind of weight I carry. Sometimes it feels equally heavy.
I think that’s part of the reason I’ve stayed away from doctors for so long. I was scared they’d tell me I had it, and then I would be one of “those people.” Don’t get me wrong—I don’t judge anyone who has diabetes or any other chronic illness, even if your lifestyle is the main reason.
But the truth is, there are people out there who WILL judge you for being sick. Some may even take pleasure in your sickness. They might look at you and think, “This is what you deserve—heart attack, kidney disease, nerve damage, amputation. This is what you get for being fat.”
They say health is a human right. The problem is, not everyone sees fat people as human.
Nevertheless! I’m here at the doctor’s office for the first time in YEARS—not totally by choice, I admit, but let’s not get into all that now—and although I’m nervous about what the doctor might find, and how badly he’ll probably scold me even if I’m okay, I know it’s good that I’m sitting here.
I’m young enough that probably nothing too bad will come up, but even just knowing my risk factors will help me stay on track.
It’s so important for all of us, but especially us bigger people, to keep on top of our health. We can’t control other people or the world around us, but one thing we can control is our choices.
#weightloss #weightlossjourney #doctorsvisit #checkup #obesity #diabetes #heartdisease #chronicillness #health #cronushealth #healthylifestyle #healthisahumanright #thetrueme
Comments
gordita_official is it bad that I want krispy kreme now?
etruesdale94 @gordita_official Stop that right now!!!
gordita_official @etruesdale94 no but srsly, pick some up on ur way home??
joanna_225 Your Aunt Sylvia was diabetic! Love you, call me!
April 24