2007 Walk From Obesity

Mark your calendars: The 2007 Livermore Walk From Obesity will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.

Money raised from the three-mile walk will benefit the ASBS Foundation and the Obesity Action Coalition. The ASBS Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons, and it has done a lot in the way of advocacy on behalf of the morbidly obese. According to the foundation, it "is serious about improving the lives of the morbidly obese by focusing on ... Increased funding of research specifically in morbid obesity (and) increased public and professional education."

OAC is an advocacy group that fights on behalf of anyone who is obese or touched by obesity. The nonprofit's goals are as follows:

* Educate patients, family members and the general public on obesity and its effects on the healthcare community.
* Help patients gain access to medical treatment for obesity.
* Work to ensure that those obesity treatments are safe and effective.
* Strive to eliminate the negative stigma associated with obesity.
* Elevate and empower obese individuals to take action that makes a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

The walk is not exclusively for thin people or for obese people. It's not for bariatric patients or those on weight-loss programs. It's open to everyone who has a desire to help put an end to this debilitating disease. As one item I read said, "We walk on behalf of those who cannot because obesity has robbed them of their mobility or their lives."

As I've blogged about before, fighting the disease of obesity and advocating for those afflicted with it is very important to me. I don't think there is another cause that I can say incites such passion in me. And I am thankful that gastric-bypass surgery has given me the ability to fight this fight for those who cannot.

I am volunteering to help organize the event in addition to organizing a local team. If you are interested in participating in the team, want to organize one of your own, or want to volunteer to help plan it, let me know and I will get you the details. I don't have the details on fundraising requirements, but I believe each walker is expected to raise at least $100.

If you are outside of the East Bay Area, there may be a walk scheduled for your area. Visit the walk's site for further information. It's not yet updated with dates for all the walks, but that should happen by next week.