Dick Gregory Sees ‘Crisis of Obesity,’ Asks U.S. Help

Dick Gregory, a comedian who used prolonged fasts to draw attention to civil rights and other issues, came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to ask Congress to help Americans who are so overweight that their health is in danger.

Gregory, who appeared at a news conference with several of the patients he is now treating, said: “The crisis of obesity in America, which threatens the lives of more than 11 million of our citizens who are dangerously overweight, is a public nightmare that demands immediate federal attention.”

Referring to a Hempstead, N.Y., man he helped to lose about 400 pounds, Gregory said: “Thanks to Walter Hudson and the press, thousands of obese folks decided to come out of the closet. I got thousands of calls. “I can’t handle it.”

The comedian said he became aware of Hudson’s case after newspaper reports described how a rescue team had to free him when he got stuck in a doorway. Hudson, who had remained in his bedroom for 17 years and remains homebound, once weighed 1,200 pounds.

Gregory urged Congress to establish a hot line, to set up an institute for obesity at the National Institutes of Health and to conduct hearings on the problem.

Mike Parteleno, 30, who has gone from 1,023 pounds to 761 pounds with Gregory’s assistance, said: “If it wasn’t for Mr. Gregory, who knows what would have happened to me? But Mr. Gregory can’t do it by himself--Congress needs to be aware of it.”