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STATE NEWS

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700-lb woman in need of doctor struggles for transportation

12:51 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 23, 2008

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA_TV

BOSQUE COUNTY - A 700-pound woman has been trapped in her home as she searches for medical help she can't physically get to due to her size.

Confined to a bed in her Bosque County home, Susie Alonso, 44, said she battled an eating disorder, depression and other forces that have contributed to her obesity. Now, she fears an open sore may be spreading an infection.

"I have a lot of pain in my body," she said.

"They tell me, 'Miss. Alonso, we can't do anything if you don't get down here,'" she said. "I tell them I can't get down there. I weigh 700 pounds. I can't get out of my bed."

Alonso and her sisters called ambulance services but were told Alonso is too big to transport.

Bosque County is about an hour drive southwest of Fort Worth. While Alonso said the last time she left her home was in February for a doctor visit, she said she has been "isolated" in her home for over four years.

"We've called 911," said Theresa Gonzalez, Alonso's sister. "We've called police."

But Alonso said their search has been in vain.

"I can't find nobody, and I done told them I'm going to die here if you can't help me," she said.

According to those in the medical field, Alonso's case is far from isolated. In fact, it has become a growing problem.

"We're seeing more patients on a regular basis that we're having to transport that weigh in excess of 600 pounds," said David Lamb, with MedStar.

Ambulance companies are struggling with America's obesity epidemic. MedStar recently rigged one unit with a winch and a stretcher that will hold 1,100 pounds.

Since News 8 began looking into Alonso's case, two companies, including MedStar, have now offered to help.

E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com

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