#bodies don't heal and change fast enough at that age to bring skin taut

[lyraeon]

When I say “fatphobia kills” what I mean is that my grandmother’s pancreas cancer might have been diagnosed two years earlier if the doctor hadn’t insisted to a 72 year old widow that her mysteriously losing weight was a good thing.

When I say “fatphobia kills” what I mean is my aunt can’t find anyone willing to give her surgery to fix the incredibly painful abdominal hernia she has that makes it difficult to even walk across the room unless she loses 100lbs first... but they’ll do an even more invasive surgery to staple her stomach smaller to help her lose that, if she wants.

When I say “fatphobia kills” what I mean is that I have been trying to find out for over 15 years why my shoulder hurts so bad, and have been constantly dismissed as it (and the rest of my joint problems) just being because I was overweight... and finally this week I’ve been referred to an orthopedic surgeon and a rheumatologist because MRIs showed severe cartilage damage and signs of an autoimmune disorder.

None of us are dead yet, but we’re all headed there a lot faster because doctors cared more about getting us skinnier than healthier.