Grappling with Grief

Overcoming Loss at a Young Age

by Shandi Pace   Abe, Gus and Rudy Peña all battled their weight growing up. This weight gain came from a combination of their Mexican culture and the easiness of eating junk food. Their dad was a welder that worked long days. It was easier for everyone to bring home fast food rather than trying […]

Read More…

Overcoming Obesity: Chuck Carroll

by Shandi Pace   Chuck Carroll started his weight loss journey at 420 pounds while consuming at least 10,000 calories a day. Today, he weighs 155 pounds and happier than ever he decided to lose weight. Chuck’s journey wasn’t easy, but his resilience paid off in the end. At a very young age, Chuck started […]

Read More…

Love and Weight (Heavy Hearts EP4)

by Shandi Pace   Jimmy has small crushes here and there during adolescence but he was never able to turn them into something more. He was immediately friend-zoned because he was the “heavy kid.” Jimmy was the one that they knew was safe to confide to about other boys. He didn’t have a lot of […]

Read More…

Clothing Comfort (Heavy Hearts EP3)

by Shandi Pace   Clothing has always been something where the founder of Grappling with Grief, Jimmy Van, prefers comfort over everything else. In his younger days, Jimmy couldn’t wear designer brands because he couldn’t fit into them. “When you’re heavy, and when you’re young, it can be a challenge to find clothes that fit,” Jimmy […]

Read More…

Lost 100 Pounds 3 TIMES! (Heavy Hearts EP2)

by Shandi Pace The first time Joanne Raymond noticed people seeing her as overweight was during seventh grade. She heard boys behind her laughing at her weight, which started her on the rollercoaster of wanting to lose weight. At that young age, most girls are concentrated on their looks. To have someone call her fat […]

Read More…

School and Bullying (Heavy Hearts EP1)

by Shandi Pace   Grief is usually seen as being tied to a specific person. This can be the case, but grief can also be caused by other types of loss. These include the loss of a home, an important relationship, changes to physical or mental health or any other significant change. The way one […]

Read More…