Blog Post #2: Woman Stuck On Toilet

Suzzette Medina

MCom 100W- Tu/ Th 10:30 a.m.

Blog Post #2

Word Count: 269

According to the article, “Woman had phobia of leaving bathroom,” a thirty year-old mentally disabled woman was checked into the hospital after refusing to leave the bathroom for years. When I first heard this, I will be honest, I laughed out loud because it sounds so ridiculous. But after reading the article and hearing about the story over the news, I felt pity for both parties. Her boyfriend may be charged for the mishandling of a dependent adult, although I think he was trying to help her more than anything. He clearly cared for her; he was bringing her food and water into the bathroom for her. It is true that the authorities needed to be called much earlier, but it situation is strange and may not require a guilty party. The part of the article that shocked me was that the poor woman was not glued or tied to the toilet; her body had literally molded onto the seat cover and had open wounds on her legs. I didn’t know skin could begin to attach to another object simply after prolonged exposure. I believe this story gained so much attention because it is so unusual and ridiculous; it is more entertainment than valued news. Is this story newsworthy? Yes, but I believe for the wrong reasons. It has come to make me feel just terrible about the whole situation, the public who wants more juicy information, the poor boyfriend who may go to jail, and the woman who now may end up in a wheelchair. All aspects of this article are sad, but I’ll admit, it’s entertaining nonetheless.

Here is a link to the actual article I found on MSNBC.com