Mom Of 555-Pound Teen Speaks Out

Mom Of 555-Pound Teen Speaks Out

Thursday, June 25, 2009

CBS Early Show: A mother is being charged with neglecting her obese teenage son, raising issues about whether the government has the right to intervene in one's family life.

Born and raised in South Carolina, Alexander Draper grew up to reach a dangerous 555 pounds by the age of 14. That's when law enforcement stepped in.

"The first and foremost concern is Alexander's health," Lt. Shea Smith told CBS News.

Alexander's mother, Jerri Gray, was charged with unlawful neglect of a child for allowing him to become obese.

"There have been opportunities to get Alexander some treatment over the course of the last several months and unfortunately some of those things have not been taken advantage of," Smith said.

But Gray, released from jail Monday on $50,000 bond, says she does not have enough money to get her son the treatment he needs.

Alexander is in the custody of the Department of Social Services, who in a statement to CBS News said they only intervene when "health care professionals believe a child is at risk of harm."

"Obviously her son is certainly in need of some medical attention," Lt. Smith said.

Jerri Gray and her defense attorney, Kim and Grant Varner, appeared on The Early Show Thursday to discuss the situation.

Asked how his weight gain got so out of control, Gray said, "Well, a lot of times it had to do with lifestyle. A lot of times I had to work fulltime second shift or fulltime, third shift. And I wasn't home a lot."

Gray told guest host and "Britain's Got Talent" judge Amanda Holden she had been monitoring her son's diet, but that there were times she had to purchase fast food, when she'd have to sleep between shifts.

Asked if there are steps she could've taken earlier to have helped him not reach that level of weight, Gray said, "When I had a second shift hob, I would've rather been home, so that I could've spent more time focusing on preparing more low-fat type-meals."

While Alex is under state care right now, Gray believes her son needs to be with her. "Mentally he needs to be with me. We both need to be included together in whatever program that they have to offer so that we both can benefit from it. So as our lives go on together, then we will have learned how to control it and keep it under control."

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I have a hard time believing that working two jobs is to blame for his obesity. Eating habits begin when your child is young, he didn’t gain all this weight over a short period of time. Who was the one keeping the home stocked with the bad foods? I’m not saying don’t let your kids enjoy the good stuff, but it’s all in moderation. There are millions of parents that work two jobs and their kids are still taught to eat right. Bottom line, you dropped the ball and now your child will suffer.

- nicole

Posted 06/25/09 05:31 PM

Oh good grief, this mother makes me sick. I’m sorry but apples and bananas are a very easy snack to keep in the house, along with carrots and trail mix filled with good for you nuts. About making dinner, oh give me a break, opening a package of skinless chicken breast and seasoning it only takes about 5minutes, is she trying to say she NEVER went to the grocery store. I’m glad to hear her child was taken from, although it’s a sad situation this IS child abuse because the mother CHOSE not to educate herself about healthy eating.

- Kristen

Posted 06/25/09 07:19 PM

It does sound like the state gave the mother plenty of opportunity to correct the situation before taking her son away. If doing two jobs caused her son to get so obesed, did she try to find another job? Why didn’t she do something when he got to 300 lb? Or 400 lb? Some people just are fit to be parents.

- Chrissy

Posted 06/26/09 08:53 AM

As a pediatric dietitian, I can only see this as abuse - plain and simple. The simple fact that here is a clear example of a parent who has failed to simply say “no” to her child. Now the other citizens of that state must use their tax dollars to provide care for this child and they are now being forced to say “no”. I noticed that she did not have money for a lawyer, but had enough money to continue the eating habits of a 555 pound teenager?? Do the math, she paid for food to avoid having to say no to her child. Now the question is what other health related problems does or will this child have because of the complete failure of parenting of this woman. I’m also giving just as much blame to the father, even if he made a choice not to be involved. Does he have pulmonary or endocrine problems such as asthma or diabetes? By the look of it, I would at least guess acanthosis nigricans. Some may believe he could play football, but I would be willing to bet he has a hard time simply walking, or possibly even sleeps in a chair instead of a bed due to sleep apnea. Finally, she sometimes works 2nd or 3rd shift - I guess she can get up with him and exercise during the 16 hours a day she is not at work?? Sorry if I seem harsh, however this is just plain lazy. Now this 14 year old is getting ready to start high school and has this extra problem to deal with.

- Brian

Posted 06/29/09 02:59 PM