INSURANCE REFUSES! Will You Help?
My name is David Price Robinson and I am a Fat Man on a Mission. That mission is to return to a condition of health. The picture above is a before/after from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016. You can see more of my story on my FB page .
I began the journey after a moment of truth and shocking clarity. At nearly 500#s, I realized that I either had to change, or die. I had too much to live for...my son was getting married in a year, my daughter (that's her in the blue tank top to my left) was just beginning life and my wife is simply too awesome to leave behind.
I began my journey by walking in my backyard, above ground pool...the only way I could move at that point without extreme pain and effort. I built up my endurance and mobility in that pool and determined to enter my first 5K.
That was 1 year, 15 races, and about 130#s ago. I am not kidding myself, I still have a long way to go. But with hard work, determination and the continued support of my friends, family, and my Coach (the tall lady in the blue tank to my right) I will make it. For those wondering, I have used the combination of walking, good nutrition, a GREAT coach and support network, and Advocare products to get this far.
Now, here's your part!
If you have ever watched a balloon deflate, you know how saggy and misshapen it becomes. Well, now, instead of a balloon, think belly. As my weight has dropped, so has my abdomen...creating what is known euphemistically as a "fat apron" or, medically, as a Pannus.
My pannus is now down to about mid-thigh. It's basically just excess skin and tissue. So no amount of additional weight loss will help and I am past the age where my skin elasticity will pull it back into shape.
The problem is that I am once again experiencing difficulty moving freely as my gut serves as a barrier to moving my legs properly. Hygiene becomes an issue and my skin stays in various stages of breakdown with perpetual infections. Additionally, clothing is becoming a challenge.
I want to continue to lose weight; I want to continue walking and hopefully one day, run! I want to get back into backpacking and canoeing, day hiking, and generally being active. Mostly I want to be around for my family and one day to be able to actively play with my grandkids.
This is NOT a tummy-tuck or a cosmetic procedure, this is a needed surgery for the purposes of health, hygiene, and mobility.
There is a surgery to take care of this - a panniculectomy, but it is costly and my insurance refuses to cover it. I do work. But the money I earn providing services for the mentally and physically challenged in my community is minimal, at best. My wife and I simply cannot afford this surgery without you.
My goal is to raise 20-thousand dollars to cover the cost of surgery, recovery, and the time I will miss from work. That may take a while to raise, but that is okay, I still have more weight to lose before I am an ideal candidate for the procedure.
Please consider helping me with your donation of any size. If you help, I promise to #nevereverquit.
Sincerely, Fat Man on a Mission (David Price Robinson)
below: a group gathers with me for support at the end of my first 5K of the new year.
