PASADENA, Texas Simply standing is tough for Robert Manuel; he weighs nearly 700 pounds and is essentially stuck in his home.
I can t go do something as simple as go to Wal-Mart, said Manuel. I never thought I d be like I am.
The 38-year-old former truck driver can no longer fit in normal clothes and must climb into a motorized scooter just to go to the bathroom.
In March, Manuel s weight topped half a ton, that s when he went into a hospital and doctors put him on a special diet. It s working; he has already lost 300 pounds. But now he has a seemingly simple need.
I need a bed, said Manuel.
He can no longer fit in a normal bed and must sleep in a lift chair. He and his family have been struggling to get a bariatric bed for more than a month. They cost several thousand dollars and the family doesn t have a lot of money.
I ve been fighting to get a hospital bed in my house, which I really need, and nobody seems to want to deliver to the house, they want to deliver it to the hospital, said Manuel.
He struggles from other health problem as well, including lymphedema and an infection in his legs. Manuel was also born with clubfoot, which makes walking and exercise difficult.
He s hoping to continue with his diet and lose weight. He just needs a better way to sleep.
Help me, I don t know what else to say, said Manuel. It s rough.
