Missouri Man Denied Adoption to Have WLS in Dallas

Here is an interesting article in today's Dallas news.  DALLAS - In a life of super sizing everything from fast food meals to SUVs, size seems to matter.

But for one man, his size combined with his decision to have gastric bypass meant much more than just losing weight.

Not even a darkened hospital room can hide the reason Gary Stocklaufer's friends call him "Tiny."

"I wasn't wearing my normal clothes today to weigh in, but today I was 501," he said.

Stocklaufer traveled from Kansas City to the Renaissance Hospital in Dallas to undergo a gastric bypass procedure that could change more than his waistline.

"To live normal, to be able to tie your shoes, to be able to walk into a store and know those clothes on the rack will fit you," said Angie Flores, a spokesperson for the Renaissance Hospital, of the transformation of everyday living that can be made with the procedure.

Better health is almost always the motivation for the procedure, which was true in Stocklaufer's case as well. But there's something else. Stocklaufer said he wants to adopt the four-month-old child of a cousin who cannot care for him, but a judge in Kansas City ruled against the adoption due to Stocklaufer's weight.

"I'm willing to go to this step to, for lack of a better term, shove it in their face," he said. "You done wrong and you know you done wrong."

Stocklaufer said he has done a lot right. He adopted Bobby seven years ago and said he is a licensed foster parent in Missouri.

"Just because I'm this size doesn't make me a bad person," he said. "Give me the opportunity to show what I can do."

He's already begun the process of shedding pounds by losing 60 pounds on his own. The surgery will cut another 100.

"I want my son," he said.

The family court in Missouri said due to privacy concerns it cannot discuss the specifics of Stocklaufer's case. However, they did say their primary concern is the welfare and interests of the child.

Stocklaufer's surgery will be in two weeks and the hospital is picking up the cost.