In 2011, I had weight loss surgery. It was very successful, and I've managed to keep the weight off. Of course, a lot of people think I took the easy way to lose weight, but surgery is not a miracle cure, just a tool. My current problem is actually keeping my weight up where my doctor (not the weight-loss doctor) wants it.
My boyfriend has trichotillomania (he pulls out his beard and mustache hairs when he's anxious or bored without thinking about it). He considers it to be relatively mild because it has never caused any serious physical harm like an infection, and while I've suggested that therapy might help, he thinks that the stress of finding a therapist will just make it worse, but that is an issue for another letter.
Imagine being judged not for what you do, but for standing beside someone you love. The stares, the awkward silences, and the pitying looks aren't aimed at you, but you feel them all the same. Caregivers often carry a weight that has nothing to do with their own actions and everything to do with how others react to the person they care for.
"This [extramarital affair case] is very anti-women. The kind of shame I have to face in the courtroom. Our courtrooms are full of men ... the way everyone looks at me, it's a different horror experience."