Internet Backs Woman Refusing to Let 600Ib Brother Move in With Her

A woman has said she is refusing to take in and care for her obese brother after a lifetime spent living in the shadow of her demanding, molly-coddled younger sibling.

The woman took to social media to air her grievances against both her parents and her brother in a post shared to Reddit's "Am I The A**hole" forum, where it has been upvoted 12,300 times. The post can be seen here.

In the post she detailed how her little brother, Teddy, was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and wasn't breathing "for at least three minutes."

Though he escaped from the incident unscathed, the woman said that ever since her parents have used that experience as "an excuse" for his behavior—behavior she said turned her childhood into "a living hell."

From giving him her candy to even letting him open her presents on her birthday, the woman said every time she tried to speak up, her parents would remind her "he died coming into this world."

"I had to put up with Teddy's tantrums, abuse, fits and bad behavior," she wrote. "If I touched a single hair on his head, I got punished while Teddy got away with whatever he did." The Redditor said the situation became so bad that eventually, aged 15, she moved out of the house to live with other family members.

Now 35, she said her contact with her parents and Teddy, who is 26, is limited. However, the situation was further complicated after Teddy turned 18 and "decided he wanted to be a competitive eater." According to the woman, that eventually turned into "just eating" with the upshot being that Teddy now weighs close to 600Ibs. The weight gain has caused serious issues for her parents.

"He can't hold a job and lives with our parents who still cater to him and pay for everything," she explained. "Since Teddy requires round the clock care, my parents hardly leave the house." As a result, her parents missed her wedding and have only seen their grandchildren a handful of times during dinners held at their house.

Recently, things took yet another twist after Teddy suffered a bad fall and ended up hospitalized. During a visit to see him, his sister said she and her husband were taken aside by her parents who asked them for a "large amount of money" to cover the costs of Teddy's care.

Her parents said they didn't have the money to keep looking after him and were having to dip into their retirement funds. They also suggested that once Teddy has recovered he then move in with her and her husband because they are "well off with a bigger house."

The woman said her parents told her they needed "a break" because they care for him "all year round" while she just visits.

Reacting angrily, she flat out refused their request for money to cover his care and said there was no chance of him moving into their house even though they "could afford it."

After leaving the hospital the woman said her mom called her and accused her of "abandoning the family." She fired back saying she would not be caring for him "under any circumstances" and that he was their "problem."

Reflecting on the conflict, the woman said she had since started to feel "a little bad" even if her brother did make her life "hell."

For the majority of people commenting on the Reddit post, the responsibility for the entire situation rested with the woman's parents.

KittyKittyMuffinPile slammed Teddy's mom and dad, arguing that "they enabled him to get to 600lbs, close to his death" through their inaction. "He's not much longer for this world," they said. "These are based on his decisions, which you are not responsible for."

Ittybittydittycom spelled out the grave nature of the situation even further. "They aren't going to have Teddy around for long if he stays at 600lbs," they warned. "They are killing their own kid with food. The parents will most likely outlive Teddy."

Droppedelbow was in no doubt as to who was to blame. "That these parents enable their own child to get into this state is appalling," they wrote. "Yes, he's an adult and should know better, but they've clearly enabled him since birth, so he stood no chance of developing self awareness."

Moonlightxrose, meanwhile, concluded that ultimately both the woman and her brother Teddy were "failed" by their parents. Lifeonthegrid offered a different perspective, writing: "For what's it's worth, I think there's a distinct possibility that the mom (possibly Dad too) was traumatized by the birth and never got the help that she needed. Sad all around."

According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a sharp rise in the number of people classed as obese in the U.S.

Data shows that when comparing the period from 1999 to 2000 with 2017 to 2018, obesity prevalence in the U.S. went from 30.5 percent to 42.4 percent.

Worse still, the prevalence of severe obesity climbed from 4.7 percent to 9.2 percent over that period. Obesity is linked to a number of health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer.

The CDC found that in 2008 alone, the medical cost of obesity in the U.S. stood at $147 billion while the medical costs for obese people were, on average $1,429 higher than those incurred by people of a healthy weight.