chapter 3

The nurses would also bring an electronic scale with a top end of 1500 lbs. It was soon apparent that 2 nurses were needed to get him onto the scale. By the time he was 13 years old, he had become too fat and heavy to do anything physical on his own.He was spending more of his time in his bed. His king size bed was traded in for an electronic adjustable hospital bed. Every need was taken care of by his Mom, Becca and the nurses, who had been hired on an "as needed" basis.
The nurses came to shower Steven and take care of his personal hygiene needs. With the help of Steven's mom it takes the 3 of them to get him out of the bed, to the shower,and back to bed.
He walks with the aid of a custom made heavy-duty walker which has a large "U" shaped frame which enables his large belly to fit inside the
walker. There is also a shelf built into it so his belly can be rested on it when walking. The weight of his belly hanging freely is just too much for him to handle. Also,with that weight supported on the shelf, it makes his journey to the shower a little easier. The distance to the shower is only about 8 feet from his bed but afterwards he is totally exhausted.
More and more he is receiving sponge baths in bed, as getting him out of bed becomes more difficult.They get him to the shower only twice a week as it really is an ordeal. But, even the sponge baths are a workout for the women, as Steven has to be moved around, legs and arms lifted to enable him to be thoroughly cleaned.
The nurses suggested to Shawna that male nurses might be stronger and more able to help Steven. Shawna was considering this until she realized Stevens anxiety attacks were caused by him worrying over this. Once his mother realized what had caused the attacks she assured Steven there would be no change of the nurses, and he calmed down.
Steven is too big to go on the fast food runs anymore, but his mom makes sure it is brought to him. If relatives or friends are coming to the house they know to phone and see what they can bring for Steven, and they all do it willingly.Eating, gaming, television, and a lot of sleeping are Steven's life now. Really just a continuation of what his life has always been.
A couple of the other girl friends still come out occasionally, but Steven is usually so self absorbed in his games and television, and stuffing himself, he doesn't seem to pay much attention to them. They have become disheartened worrying about his health. Also, watching Steven's mother and Becca continuously feeding him snacks and treats has led the girls to try and talk to them about his health but they have been told, in no uncertain terms,to mind their own business.
Our daughter says thinking of Steven depresses her now. She knows he is a "ticking time bomb." Shawna shows no outward signs of worrying about his health.
She just seems to carry on like nothing is wrong. Of course she has played a major part in making Steven who he is, and maybe can't or won't admit her mistakes, or she is a feeder like Becca who enjoys growing him. The girls have tried to talk to Becca about their concerns but she also won't discuss it, saying she doesn't
want to make Shawna angry. She says Steven really likes her, actually loves her, and she wouldn't want to hurt him in any way. She told them he suffers from anxiety attacks as it is and any more stress in his life would be very bad. She admitted she loves him very much and really enjoys his company and being with him is her main priority right now. On his 18th birthday Shawna asked Becca if she would like to move in and be with Steven. Of course there was no question in Becca's mind.She knew they were meant for each other.