This whole thing is really sad. When I was a sullen teenager my dad used to tell me the telephone receiver would grow into my face but I never believed him! It's hard for me to imagine the couch not breaking under all that weight for so long.
I really can't imagine why she would have lost mobility that early, too, unless she just sat down one day and refused to get up. I worked for a bail bondsman for years who fluctuates between about 500-650 pounds, and he's in his mid-fifties. He drives, goes on vacation, works daily, etc. My husband's aunt, whom I loved dearly, is well over 400 pounds. She is a social worker who investigates elderly abuse and neglect. She lives alone and takes care of a three-bedroom home, drives herself everywhere, goes out with friends, and two or three times a year flies up to see us. I guess everyone's body deals with extreme stress differently, though, and would likely account for the differences in people's living conditions.
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