Agnes’ POV
Speaker: Agnes
My name is Agnes, and I’m from Lewis County, West Virginia.
What has your journey with obesity care looked like?
My journey with obesity started when I actually spent years with a chronic lung illness, a lung disease, a very rare illness called broncholithiasis, which caused calcium stones in my lungs, making it difficult for me to even function to make a bed, let alone get out and walk and exercise every day.
And I ended up having issues also with my liver because of the weight gain that I had gained. I gained 120, excuse me, 130 pounds, which is a lot more than even when I was pregnant.
So fast forward, I was sent to WVU and they were able to put me in a program for the weight loss management. And when I sat down with those individuals, you know, they started talking about this weight loss medication that they could prescribe that could help me. So we started it.
So I was able to track my weight loss since I became part of this program in 2022 and all of my numbers have come back into play.
I was on a watch list for my liver because my liver enzymes were all three times what they should be. I mean, it was very much to the point that the hepatologist said, “You know, we got to do something, you know, or you, you could be in danger of needing a liver transplant.”
But here we are. The medication that they put me on has helped me immensely. You know, people say, “Is it a miracle drug?” It’s not, but it almost feels like that.
Even before when I got it, I couldn’t hardly walk across the floor because my feet hurt so bad. I’m no longer on my inhalers—I don’t need them. I can climb steps now. I can climb up a hill. I’m healthier. I’m down to—my last doctor’s appointment was 187 from 230 so that’s a huge difference than what it was.
It’s not about vanity. It’s about being healthy and being able to live your life and and make it through the day.
What obstacles do women face when trying to access obesity care?
I believe it’s just everyone has the mindset, “Oh, you can just stop eating and you’ll lose weight, or you can go exercise and lose weight,” and that’s totally not the case.
If people are actually treated like people and actually given the respect that they need, and understand that it is an illness or that there is something else that’s contributing to the obesity problem— not everybody just sits on their butt and eats bonbons every day and doesn’t care about themselves or anybody else around them. They’re working people, they’re women, they’re men, even, that that are trying to survive. And I believe that if we actually had the opportunity to have the proper medical needs met, that you would see people living.
I think that if people would actually look at the person and look at the issues that we face every day and actually help make those things instead of saying, “Oh, just exercise, stop eating, you’ll be better.” You know, that’s not always the case.
How can policymakers help improve access to obesity care?
If I had the chance to talk to policymakers, to let them know why it’s important to actually care about the obesity problem in the country, would be for them to look at people. People, they are real, and it’s not, as I’ve said before, it’s just not that people are lazy and they don’t want to be healthy. They do want to be healthy. And if there’s medication out there that can help make a difference, why are we not using that medication to help make Americans healthier, better, viable citizens? And you know, just do your research, look into people. You know, people who want to get healthy are going to seek those, you know, that help.
What inspires you to advocate for expanded access to obesity care?
So what motivates me to fight for better coverage for the weight loss medications and things for people to have better health, is the fact that I know that it works. I know that if the coverage is there and we don’t have to fight every loophole in the country, women and men are going to be healthier, and it’s going to be better for our country, and in the long run, it is going to save money. When people are healthier, they’re able to be able to go to work and get up every day. It’s it’s going to be better for the country in the long run.