Posted on 08/11/2004 2:49:06 PM PDT by Calpernia
STUART, Fla. -- A dramatic rescue ended tragically in Stuart, Florida, a rescue so difficult firefighters say they have never seen anything like it.
It happened late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the home of a 600-pound woman who was having trouble breathing. Rescuers went in not knowing how difficult it would be to get her out. 40-year-old Gail Grinds was literally stuck to her couch and had to be removed surgically at the hospital.
Authorities estimate she had been on the couch anywhere from two to five years.
Martin County Fire amd Rescue crews faced what seemed to be an impossible mission. Everyone going inside had to wear protective gear. The stench was so powerful they had to blast in fresh air.
They tried to cut out the front door, but at four-and-a-half feet wide, it wouldn't work. They had to cut plywood since a normal stretcher wouldn't do.
An ambulance was too small, so they brought in a trailer to get her out. While rescue crews came up with a back-door rescue plan, detectives secured what had become a crime scene, questioning family members about how it got so bad.
Using planks, they loaded the woman on to the trailer, still attached to the couch. Removing her would be too painful, since her body is grafted to the fabric. After years of staying put, her skin has literally become one with the sofa and it must be surgically removed.
Detectives are investigating whether they have a case of neglect, or if it is simply a very sad story.
Grinds was taken to the Martin Memorial hospital where doctors removed her from the couch, but she died in spite of all the attempts to save her life.
And that ain't Jesus.
Oh, she was cheating. We had more than 150 patients then, and she was the ONLY one who didn't lose any weight at all. Some just lost a few ounces some weeks - you know how the body is when you put it through extreme diets - but everyone except her lost SOMETHING.
Oh, I can't take it anymore. Between The Raven's picture, Xena's mold story and your patient.
These people are young. 37, and this woman, 44? Too sad.
Momma always told me "smelly hippie is.. as smelly hippie does."
No, but you might be upset.
And your mom was right, except for that thing about Santa Claus shacking up with the Wicked Witch of the West, but since it was a wedding and everyone had a load on I didn't take it too seriously.
Hey, now, I'm not THAT hard on the eyes! I mean, I'm not a nubile 20-year-old Swede or anything, but I don't weigh 600 pounds.
there is a small, barely discernable picture here:
http://www.wftv.com/news/3643877/detail.html
Drudge posts so many wonderful weird stories, and 10 times out of 10 they occur in Florida.
I'm going to kill you.
Well, maybe the fed her with a slingshot, and maybe she...
"Didn't anyone CARE about her? No one???"
I agree with you. Just because someone stops caring about themselves doesn't mean that you should stop caring about them. Even if they couldn't stop her from eating, they could have made sure that she was clean and comfortable. I'd rather die myself than let one of my sisters or my mother end up like that.
"WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE"
It's still available at Blockbuster ...
Fascinating 1994 movie about an obese woman ...
Leonardo diCaprio played the younger brother in it ...
http://www.dicaprio.com/photos_and_movies/gilbert_grape/
I'm going to kill you.
132 posted on 08/11/2004 9:08:21 PM CDT by Sofa King
Get in line behind me.
I`m assuming the sh*t, sweat and other bodily fluids dissolved the couch along with her skin and it healed together, whenever it did heal. And where did she get the food? One more example of the dangers of socialism. Humans are not built to live off the work of others, either physically or mentally, no matter how willing one person wants to do so for another. Liberals should heed this story.
bikepacker67 found a media clip. Go here: http://www.tcpalm.com/ Scroll down to:
Obese woman's death investigated
8:27 p.m. Authorities are questioning whether someone neglected a Stuart woman weighing 478 pounds who had trouble breathing Tuesday night.
FULL STORY » | REAL VIDEO | WINDOWS MEDIA VIDEO »
Click the Video. Her husband is the one that had been feeding her and he called 911 when she wasn't able to breath right any longer.
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