Fitting on an airplane seat....

I can't even believe that I will ever be able to fit properly. I KNOW that I am getting smaller and will get even smaller but it still seems like it won't ever happen.

Wow, Aidan.  I just want to say what an eloquent and articulate letter. 

Thanks it took a lot of editing!

That is an AMAZING letter!  Thank you so much for posting it.  And I'm sorry you went through that - I think most of us know exactly how you feel.  Sitting through a concert I was dying to see in a seat that was too small, so that I was in pain through the whole concert and left with bruises on my hips...

Things will be much, much better soon, believe me!  Even though I'm not at a goal weight, I can tell you that at 219 lbs, there aren't any seats I don't fit into (I'm 5' 6.5").  It gets better! 

But that doesn't mean that we should just put up with this kind of treatment.  It has to change.  Sure, it's great when we lose weight, but the fact is, most obese people have not had surgery and they can't all get it at once, and some can't get it at all.  Things need to be made more accessible.

Last summer, I felt like crying all the time too, because we couldn't find outdoor chairs big enough for me to sit in comfortably without spending a fortune we didn't have.  We ended up not buying them.  And we still don't have outdoor chairs large enough for a 300 lb person to sit in them comfortably.  I am still planning to buy at least a couple of larger chairs, large enough for people 300 lbs or more to sit in, even though I don't need them anymore, because I remember how mortifying it was to go to people's houses and worry about breaking their patio furniture (or just not fitting into it at all).  I'd spend so much time standing up, or sitting on deck steps. 

Glad you're not forgetting where you came from.  I'm not either.

Thanks! I can't wait to start going to concerts again. This surgery is going to allow me to live life again.

Aidan....wow I am so very sorry you had to go through this. I am shocked and disappointed they would even treat a person this way. And how could the staff not now about the policy??? OMG I always fly west jet....maybe no better but I really dislike Air C. 

I hope and pray you never are treated this way again in any situation. Kudos to you for writing the company. 

Thanks. It felt like a horrible dream when it was happening.

Aidan , i felt every second of your pain in your letter. It made me cry. I can only imagine how you must have felt. Everyone deserves respect and compassion. You did nothing wrong, you did everything right. i know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when we dont think we will fit in a seat or possibly break a chair , And walk that walk of shame. that happened to me when i broke a chair. Almost everyone laughed, ya real funny... It stays with you ..That was 20 years ago, and its like yesterday in my mind. I hope that your letter shows them that they need to have better communication and EVERYONE of their staff needs to be aware of their own policies... Krista..

 

Thanks Krista I think even when I reach my goal weight this will stay with me. Hopefully it will be just a horrible distant memory.

Thank you for the post, I am sure most of us have had similar experiences. Airplanes, patio furniture, tea rooms, isles, theatres, shows, restaurants and all other venues and the attitudes from service staff in every industry. It will be good to be "normal" but I doubt I will forget. Cathy