by Writer's Edge

Created on: January 23, 2008

Can being fat ever be beneficial to your health? My Father's experience might help you decide the answer to that question.

My Father arrived at the Emergency Room, by ambulance, from a construction work site. The Doctor reviewed what had happened with my Father. Then he ordered tests. The x-rays showed an object in my Father's chest. The Doctor said, "This is the first time I've ever been glad that a patient was fat. Had you been thin, this probably would have hit your heart." Then he anesthetized the area and removed the object.

What had happened? My Father had been using a rivet gun. He was concentrating on his work. Someone came up behind him and startled him. His hand jerked upward, his fingers clinched together, so the rivet gun went off. The fired rivet went up at an angle, ricocheted off a beam and then hit another beam at an angle and ricocheted off that one straight into my Father's chest. It went through many layers of fat and muscle which slowed it down. It was on a straight trajectory to his heart, but stopped in-between a couple of ribs in front of his heart. They called an ambulance and didn't let him move. He bled, but no blood spurting, so no major arteries hit. They immobilized him, really worried because they didn't know exactly where the rivet was. They were right to be worried.

A couple of his construction buddies went with him and stood outside until they heard the good news. Old Man B. would be fine. They drove him home and talked about how he had them all going, worried, etc. They joked about how some people will do anything to get out of work- even shoot themselves. The guy that had startled him was the most relieved, he would have never forgiven himself if Dad had died. Then my Father came home, slowly walked down the driveway.

We, four children, went out to meet him, "Dad, why are you home so early? We just got dropped off by the bus a couple of minutes ago."

"Well I accidentally shot myself at work today. . .." He had our attention, and with that statement, my Father began his story about how being fat had just saved his life.

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