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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Health Today In Intuitive Eating

Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 9:42 AM

A 555-pound teen who disappeared with his mother after she was accused of neglecting his health was found with her Thursday afternoon at a laundry in Maryland, authorities said. Paramedics checked Alexander Draper, 14, before turning him over to the Maryland Department of Human Resources, police said.... His mother, 49-year-old Jerri Gray, was arrested on a charge of violating a custody order, police said. South Carolina officials plan to pursue her extradition back to the state. Authorities said the teen was at a "stage of critical health risk."

Comments (19) RSS

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She REALLY wanted him to love her.

Posted by Vince on July 22, 2009 at 9:48 AM

I don't consider myself fat phobic, so please don't take my response as such... but good god- how the hell did she move him? Mack Truck?? I would assume a 555 pound teenager is not someone you can easily kidnap

Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on July 22, 2009 at 9:56 AM

@2, maybe she just dangled a cheeseburger in front of him and he followed her.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on July 22, 2009 at 10:01 AM

This is when my powerfully repressed totalitarianism comes alive. It doesn't strike me as unjust to arrest the mother, although I would have done it 10 years before, if the child was already obese, which I think is likely. Since he's a teenager, she now has almost zero impact on him, so she's not as liable, in my opinion, as she was earlier on. He is now doing this to himself.

This is a terrifying story. The woman looks like she is about to die herself.

Posted by Skeptika on July 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM

And this is "intuitive eating" how?

Next time you make a post about gay marriage, how about titling it "Today in AIDS"?

Posted by iflurry

on July 22, 2009 at 10:11 AM

How exactly does a half-ton teenager "disappear" with his mother?

I mean, what kind of disguise does one use for that situation?

Posted by Ackham on July 22, 2009 at 10:13 AM

@6: He's a quarter-ton, not half.

Posted by TVDinner

on July 22, 2009 at 10:25 AM

@6, I'm afraid you're inflating your numbers by 100%. He is a quarter of a ton, not half a ton. He's 555 pounds, not kilograms, hence a "mere" quarter of a ton. Amazing and terrifying anyway.

Posted by Skeptika on July 22, 2009 at 10:28 AM

Say what you want about being free to eat what you want, this just goes to show that it's a decision that people need to make AFTER they reach adulthood. A dangerously poor diet is not something that parents should be able to inflict on their children.

Posted by Bonefish on July 22, 2009 at 10:53 AM

Hey, Dan, could you please start titling any of your gay news posts with "Today In Shrill Queeny Childfuckers News" or something similar? It would be just as accurate as the title of this post.

Posted by haunted leg on July 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM

My question is, at what point on the scale do we stop with "fat acceptance"? When does "healthy at any size" stop? Is this kid healthy weighing 555 lbs at 14 years old? What about when he hits 700 lbs at 21?

Posted by Rob in Baltimore

on July 22, 2009 at 11:32 AM

"Since he's a teenager, she now has almost zero impact on him, so she's not as liable, in my opinion, as she was earlier on. He is now doing this to himself."

If child abuse carries into the teenages years, that doesn't negate how much she broke him and continues to break him. He needs help outside of that crazy bitch's reach.

Posted by ungh, homeschoolers are barely better. on July 22, 2009 at 11:33 AM

Yes, but does he have a father?

Posted by amybang on July 22, 2009 at 11:36 AM

Erm, does everyone realize this story is from May, hence is technically not "today"'s news in intuitive eating? Not that I wanna win the internet or anything, but it ain't like this just happened.

Posted by switzerblog on July 22, 2009 at 11:42 AM

God lord. A 555-pound 14-year-old is the saddest thing I've read all day. Can you imagine the quality, or lack thereof, of that poor kid's life?

Posted by mitten on July 22, 2009 at 11:58 AM