460 Pound 15 Year Old Obese Teen Finds a Friend and a Common Denominator with Camp Timber Creek Owner, Ira Green

Durham, NC (PRWEB) January 16, 2006

In a wheelchair a 460 pound 15 year old had given up hope to walk but was able to run 100 yards without stopping after 8 weeks at Healthy Kids Camps'-Camp Timber Creek in North Carlolina, thanks in part to the director, Ira Green.

For the past two summers Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, has sponsored children to attend Camp Timber Creek in Lenoir, North Carolina.

Green met with doctors, social workers, and case workers from East Carolina University to help select the youngsters to be sponsored to attend Camp Timber Creek. “Selecting only five children from many candidates is very hard to do, and a bit sad,” Green said. , “I wished all the campers could attend.” All the children had been treated for medical conditions and diseases caused by their obesity.

A case worker opened the doors and brought in a 15- year- old, 460-pound boy named Montagus. He was in a wheelchair because his weight and size prevented him from walking. He had an angry look on his face.

“I told him right away that five years earlier I was as big as him and didn’t believe I had much longer to live, and that seemed to break the ice. Finding a common denominator is so important in talking with children,” Green said.

“He left the room with a lot less anger on his face,” Green said. The physicians told Green that the boy’s physical condition would preclude his attendance at camp. Green turned to the medical team and said, “Give me a chance with him. I never had a morbidly obese camper and I want to see if we can help him. Just have another camper ready as a backup candidate if Montagus doesn’t last a week. I think they were stunned to hear that I wanted Montagus.”

Wright arrived on June 12, 2005 with four other campers from Greenville. It was the first time he was ever in the mountains or even away from home for a long period of time.

Wright was given the nickname,”Big M,” which Green said the boy liked because it immediately made him feel special. Wright was able to walk very slowly with the wooden cane he brought. Green went out that night and bought a stainless steel cane for Wright, which the boy seemed to appreciate.

Green soon found out he had another problem on his hands. “The first night we realized our scale only went to 400 pounds, and he weighed 460 pounds,” he said. “There was a grain feed store in town, about 12 miles away, where we would have to take him to be weighed.” Green said that from the first day of camp, Wright never complained about the food, the activities or any of the other campers. He was cooperative with the staff, and he never expressed the physical pain he certainly felt. “Most of all, he never tried to take the easy way out,” Green said. Wright gave his complete effort at all times, Green said, even though at times he needed help.

Green said he got a kick each time he drove Wright back to camp from his weigh-in at the grain feed store. “I could see the look of joy on his face in anticipation of his weight loss announcement to his fellow campers. Big M was more than a camper with a mission, he was also a tremendous inspiration to others,” Green said. Big M was accepted unconditionally by all the campers and staff. For the first time in a very long time, he smiled.

By the time he went home at the end of the camp season, Montagus Wright, the boy who arrived in a wheelchair and whose doctors said would be unable to walk from the Camp Timber Creek dormitory to the dining hall had achieved some remarkable results.

He threw away his cane after 3 weeks. He learned about proper nutrition from experts, and stayed with a 1,800 calorie food plan. As a result, he lost more than 65 pounds. He became able to play some baseball and basketball with the members of his camp group, and realized people can love him unconditionally.

During the first week at camp, the children all take a physical activities abilities test: running, jumping, swimming and other measurable performance tasks. That week, Montagus Wright got out of his wheelchair and walked with the aid of a cane maybe 50 yards.

The same test is given to the campers during the last week of their stay. That week, Montagus Wright ran 100 yards without stopping.

Big M and Ira Green, the director, share something new now; friendship for life.

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