By paNOW

Saskatoon man who weighs 600 pounds crowdfunds for surgery

Feb 28, 2014 | 12:18 AM

A 600-pound man in Saskatoon is looking to the public for donations to pay for his weight loss surgery.

Luke Deitner, 21, has been morbidly obese since kindergarten and wants to get bariatric surgery. He believes without this surgery he will die.

“I just want to live a life that is just as normal as everyone else, being able to be an active member of this society that I live in,” he said.

The surgery will take Deitner from 600 to 300 pounds by removing part of his stomach and re-route intestines so he eats less and feels full longer.

“It will allow me to only absorb about 40 per cent of the calories that I do consume,” Deitner said.

Besides the health issues, Deitner also wants to cut down on the amount of bullying and public ridicule he experiences.

“People I don’t even know … screaming profanities at me and just saying things that are really uncalled for.”

One of his friends found a surgeon in Quebec who will take on Deitner’s case and write to Saskatchewan Health to try and get his surgery covered.

If the surgery is not covered, he needs $30,000 to pay for it and if it is covered, he will still need to pay for travel costs.

That’s why his friends and family have started the online campaign for Deitner with the hope to cover all his expenses.

To donate to Luke’s campaign, visit his crowdfunding page.

-With files from News Talk Radio’s David Kirton

by paNOW