For those of you who are familiar with Iz – you will know that obesity is the disease that he died of. Today, I am listening to him sing his compilation of Somewhere over the rainbow/What a wonderful world as I write. His sweet tender voice, caught me when I first heard him, which ironically were on a TV ad where a mom and child were cooking together. I googled the song and found it on U tube with a cartoon and still I did not know his story but I knew enough to order his CD at a little CD shop that does special orders of unique music here in Hamilton, Ontario.
I don’t know if when I first heard him that I could hear his pain coming through but these days, I believe that I hear pain when I listen to him sing. The cover for his album Future is also predictive of his death. He knew that he would be beaten by food. His huge body already dependent on oxygen for survival and also unable to sleep horizontally is wrapped in a traditional Hawaiian cloth as he faces out over an ocean rainbow is sadly beautiful. I felt that way too and when I discovered the lap band, for the first time I thought my rainbow will be farther away than I ever expected. I wonder if Iz would have known, if he could have paid for one… if insurance would have supported him.
For me, the battle is no longer up hill, my rainbow is one of hope and years of additional life with my loved ones here on earth. Every week I feel smaller and along with this comes energy, hope and a feeling of security that I have rarely felt. I write today for those of you who still feel as Iz did, no matter what addiction it is that has you in it’s grasp, and offer you an alternative rainbow.
