In December 2003 former trade unionist Ken Douglas weighed 151 kilograms. Pictured here in 2007 with the trousers he used to wear, Douglas was diagnosed as having morbid obesity, a disease not controllable by diet or exercise. Faced with the likelihood of premature death, he opted to pay $20,000 for a form of gastric bypass operation known as 'stomach stapling'. He rapidly lost 68 kilograms, and after seeing the improvement in his health, was soon advocating that the government pay for operations for those who could not afford them.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Fairfax NZ, Dominion Post
Reference: 622608865
by Ross Giblin
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