Winston-Salem, NC -- A 600-pound woman that wants to lose weight is quickly running out of options. Sharon Purcell spent the last month in Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. Now she is ready for discharge, and has no where to go because at 623 pounds, Sharon is just too large for most weight rehabilitation centers. She isn't a candidate for surgery, and she can't go home, because her bed and lifts won't fit through the door.
"To me, food is life and food is death. If I don't eat, I'm going to die. If I eat, I'm going to die," said Purcell. She says not being able to say no to food brought her to her weight. And then that weight on her lungs, kidneys, and other organs put her in the hospital.
"Her legs are so big in the middle she can't put them together to walk. She has lymphedema, bad swelling, she's in pain all the time," said Elizabeth McLaurin, Purcell's daughter. McLaurin says now doctors want her in weight rehabilitation, but so far she's been turned down by more than 600 clinics in North Carolina.
"Most places go anywhere from 200 pounds to 400 pounds if that much," said Purcell. Even her own home doesn't have the space she needs. "They can't fit the stuff through our doorway that she needs, that's why she can't be at home. Her beds won't fit through the door, her lifts won't fit through the door and we physically can't take care of her," said McLaurin.
Purcell knows time is running out. Doctor Tom Walsh, a bariatrics surgeon, says at this weight, her body is breaking down, "It will not happen within hours or days, but certainly over months, we're not talking year"
Around 5:00 on Wednesday, McLaurin said they may have found a place in Illinois that can make accommodations, but because the facility is out of state, they'll have to pay the transportation fee out of pocket. That's 6,500 dollars the family doesn't have. If you would like to help, you can email the family at
empresstianna@aol.com.
