About Dana Rosser

A native of Akron, Ohio and a graduate of The University of Akron, and a certified bariatric coach, Dana is the author of “Thru Thick and Thin; Facing Obesity Thru the Eyes of a Loved One” and co-authored “Unbreakable Spirit, Rising Above the Impossible” with Lisa Nichols. Dana has also written articles on this delicate subject that have appeared in Today.com, Daily Mail, Southern Writers Magazine, and Bariatric Today, just to name a few. She has given a TEDx talk and has appeared on the Dr. Oz show, The Today Show, and Daily Mail TV sharing her experiences with living and loving someone who suffers from severe obesity. She has also lectured for the National Medical Association (Regional & National), Harvard Patients Safety and Obesity Surgery Conference, and the American Academy of Family Practitioners Conference.

Dana and Dr. Butch reside in Orlando Florida and New Mexico. They have five children (Kevin, Duane, Nicole, and twins Taylor & Tianna) and two grandchildren (Easton and August). Dana enjoys working out, traveling, reading, and most of all spending time with her family.

Click here to book author and expert Dana Rosser for interviews or speaking engagements to share her unique perspective and insight into obesity and weight issues.

After graduating college with a marketing degree and landing a successful job, I thought I had a handle on most things in life. I came from a good family. I had friends and a good church with a bright future. I was leading a relatively good life. In 1992, I met the man of my dreams, James “Butch” Rosser, MD, a successful surgeon. I absolutely fell for him. Butch was from Mississippi and he had that “southern thang” going on, and I loved it. His smile was contagious and his heart was like no other, so for the first time in my life, I felt like there was someone in the world who was just for me. Butch was the one. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that Butch stood 6’4” tall and weighed 460 pounds. Yes, he was classified as being severely obese. Forgetting that fact was impossible because that was the attribute on which everyone seemed to fixate on during our courtship.

As Butch and I started to date seriously, people were accusing me of being with him because he was a surgeon, because of course why else would a seemingly beautiful young lady (that is what I was told) want with a severely obese man… what could I possibly see in him? That was my introduction to living and loving someone who suffers from the disease of obesity.

Despite the naysayers, Butch and I dated for three years and wed on Dec. 9, 1995. Make no mistake I was not burying my head in the sand about Butch’s weight. I knew the seriousness of carrying that much weight and the possible co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, etc.) that went along with it. I wanted to support and protect him from this mean cruel world of people who discriminated against him but on the other hand, I needed to talk with someone about how his weight overwhelmed me.

I remember always worrying that I would get a call from the hospital telling me that my husband had a heart attack… I lived in fear of losing him daily. Our quality of life suffered greatly. For example, going to the movies, theater, sporting events, and out to dinner became a major undertaking. I wanted to make sure each venue had appropriate seating. At times Butch seemed to be resistant to going out because of the fear of how others would relentlessly illuminate his struggle with this disease Because of this, more often than not we stayed home which really made me sad, mad, feeling deprived, and disappointed… I lost Dana.

But how do you communicate this to your spouse? They are acutely aware that they have a weight problem, so why would you dare bring these things up to them and make them feel even worse? Once I finally found the courage to talk to Butch openly, honestly, and lovingly about how is weight was affecting me he was shocked…he had no idea that I was suffering silently. I wish someone would have told me sooner not to neglect my feelings to protect Butch’s.

In researching this subject, I was very surprised to find that there were no support groups to assist family members with their unique challenges. There are family support groups such as Al-anon that offer hope and help to families and friends of alcoholics but nothing for families or friends whose loved ones suffer from the disease of obesity.

Because I needed support, I wanted to create a non-judgmental (forum) website (facingobesity.com) that would encourage loved ones to express their feelings and emotions freely with NO JUDGEMENTS. By having A positive dialogue, I am hoping in some small way to heal the hurts of an extraordinary group of people who have sometimes been forgotten and are an intricate part of the healing process in assisting their loved ones to a healthier lifestyle.