Home     Current---The 72inches.com Story

Hello my name is Bo McCoy. I am 36 years old and I live in Ohio. This is my story. It may not be a best selling novel or even a reader digest sideline but, it is my story, and it needs to be told. I was born in Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri on March 15, 1969. I weighed (3) lbs. 10oz. I was a 2-month "preemie". My small body was dwarfed by the hand of the nurses and my frail life hung on by a thread for over a month while I stayed in the incubator.

In the early toddler stage around age 3 or 4 I began to have serious convulsions. The convulsions were the "grand mal" type seizures. These seizures and convulsions were never explained but stopped after a medication was given. I was given a drug called "dilantin". I don't blame the drug for the obesity that would follow however, it may have been a catalyst to propel my life in another direction that it was intended. By the age of 5 I was already showing signs of serious weight gain. My weight had jumped 30% in just a few years
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Coming from a family that has both thin and obese members in the family tree my situation seemed to be one of "following in the footsteps" of the obese segment. My health was good but my weight continued to climb. My early years in grade school were not pleasant ones. It is not easy to be the "fat" kid. The fat kid is the one that is an easy mark for the more "normal" students. I attempted to become the class clown, the bully, the friend to all, anything that would keep the kids from making fun of me. It never succeeded. I was ridiculed more times than I can ever count in a lifetime. My nights were filled many times with tears and hatred. Anger does something to a young person. I was angry at the world and myself.

As a young boy I wanted to do the same things other boys did. I tried to ride bikes. But, my fat legs couldn't keep up. I tried to run. They always won. I sat in swings only to arise with chain marks on my legs. I remember always being picked last for any grade-school games. I recall hating gym class because I didn't want to have to run in front of others. I remember not being able to fit into the school desk with the table top that you slide into. I had to sit at a table top desk with a free standing chair. This just made my weight more obvious than it already was and made me feel less and less like the "normal" kids.

By the time I was 12 years old I weighed over 200 pounds. By now I was thinking of girls and cars. I loved sports. Especially football. I played football a few years. But, weight only served to slow me down and make look intimidating but have you ever seen and elephant run? It can, but it isn't pretty! I began to loose interest in sports over the next few years. Since I couldn't play them competitively why even play them. I tried other sports like bowling, swimming, etc. But, I always loved football as a kid. I always dreamed of playing football as a "pro". Sports became a just one of the things that I would deny myself over the next few years because I was unable to be "good" at them I didn't want to be laughed at for trying.

My teen years were the hardest of all. The life of an obese teenager is a horrid life to be sure. Peers can be the cruelest of all life's creatures. My life as an obese teen was full of broken-hearted attempts to date. I was rejected so many times that my very self esteem as a young man was in question at times. I have struggled to understand and accept that I am no longer that obese teenager. Because of the numerous rejections in asking out girls I got to the place in my life that I just stopped asking them out all-together. I couldn't take the rejection anymore. I have never published this anywhere but, I have decided to share one story about how it feels to be the fat teenager rejected by the opposite sex. In 1982-83 I met a girl who showed me a great amount of friendship. Of course, with this amount of attention it was easy for me to "fall" for her. I quickly tried to ask her to be my girlfriend. She cared about me and I know that she even loved me in that teenage kind-of way but, in the end she couldn't handle my size and she went on to date guys the whole while I remained her friend.

In fact, I became quite skilled at being the 'counselor' for allot of the girls in school. Because I was safe the guys never questioned their girlfriends talking to me and because the girls always got hurt by the "pretty" boys they would come to me for friendship. I cannot tell you how many nights I was on the phone until the wee hours of the morning calming a girl down who's boyfriend had cheated, lied, etc. All the while I was "screaming on the inside…"Hey, I am right here…I am a good guy…I won't do that!" The girls never heard those silent screams nor did they wipe away my tears when I hung up the phone alone and sad. I can tell you that during this time in my life I used anything I could to hide my shame of obesity. I turned to drugs, alcohol, pornography, and finally when I had reached as low as I could go I turned to the Church. At age 16, I accepted Christ. I found in the Church a sense of community and acceptance that I needed. The fellowship of the church however, did not solve my problem of morbid obesity. If there is one that church folks love to do is eat. The only "acceptable" vice in the church is food. For me, church was a perfect "fit" offering me acceptance, love, community, and food. My weight continuing to climb I graduated high school weighing about 350+ lbs. I immediately went to college and began taking classes. I recall that I weighed just over 400 in 1988.(age 19) Upon graduation from college I returned home to Waycross, Ga. I was married on July 23, 1993. I weighed approximately 450 lbs. Although my married life offered me the emotional acceptance that I was looking for, marriage could not stop my weight from climbing to its apex of 626 lbs in 2002.

At some point in my life I realized that I could no longer blame anyone or expect for anyone or anything to solve my weight problem for me. I silently decided that it was better to die than to live obese. My life had been reduced to 7 years of social security benefits and no physical health to work, play, or otherwise. Gaining weight became very easy as my lifestyle was reduced to the computer, the television, and church attendance. From 1993 to 2002 I gained weight from 450 lbs to 626 lbs. The process was slow enough that I didn't even realize that my life had eroded with the weight. I found myself unable to put on my own socks, unable to properly clean myself after bathroom visits. I became fatigued just walking to the car or the kitchen. Life became a series of short planned activities. I remember wishing I would die in my sleep. Joy and hope had left my life. I never thought I would ever be able to feel "normal". Having never been small I never felt normal in my life. So, chasing the invisible hope of "normalcy" became a dream.

In January 2002 I came to the point in my physical life that I could no longer accept my size anymore. I was ready to make a life change. I met a friend who had undergone gastric bypass surgery. I began speaking to her about the procedure. After seeing her pictures and going to ObesityHelp.com I made the decision to consult a physician. At the time of my initial consult my weight was 626 with a BMI [Body mass index] of 101.5 My surgeon, Dr. Stanley De Turris told me "your approved for surgery we just need to get you scheduled." On July 31, 2002 I had RNY [open] gastric bypass surgery. My weight at time of surgery 588 [I lost 40 lbs prior to surgery on Atkins Diet].

My surgery was very uneventful. My recovery was slow. I developed an incision line infection. This required packing and to be left open. Daily visits from the nurse only served to slow down my desire to be free. However, after some weeks the infection was gone and I was able to begin reclaiming my life. I lost 200 lbs in just over 6 months. As soon as I reached the 400 lbs mark I decided to go back to work. From March 2003 to March 2004 I lost 125 more lbs brining my total weight-loss to 341 lbs.

So many life changes took place within the 18 - 24 month mark that I cannot recount all of them. However, I can tell you that my BMI dropped to 45. My waist dropped from a 72-74 inches pant to a 46 pant. I began walking and riding bikes. My activity level increased 1000 fold. I actually spent and entire day [about 5 hours or more] walking the mall in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I walked into every store "just cause". I loved that day. I have it stored in my heart as a personal-victory-day. My life has become full of personal victory days! I go dancing as often as I can. My life has gotten as close to normal as a 285 lbs man can expect.

Today, I am free. All of the past encumbrances are being removed from my life. I am excited to be alive and live my life to fullest. I regret the years that were digested by obesity. I regret that I waited so long to make a life decision to have surgery. I regret that I caused others to "suffer" with me. I regret that in my quest to be free others were unable to accept the new me. My recent separation and divorce are a result of the many changes in my life. I want to thank all those who stayed with me during the changes: my mother, father, and brother have all stood by me without judging me. However, I have always offered myself to be a "help" for others. That is why I have dedicated my life to help others fight obesity

In March 2004 I accepted a position with ObesityHelp.com as events manager. As events manager I coordinate all the member events for ObesityHelp. It allows me to meet new people, encourage pre-op WLS patient, I get to encourage new post-ops to reach for the goal. I enjoy working with people who I share a commonality with. The people I meet at OH events are truly beautiful people who deserve to be loved and supported. I look forward to meeting other members as we continue our ObesityHelp Hits the Road Outreach.

The story continues......click here to read next chapter in my life. -->