Weight-loss school changes teen’s life

Nanci Bompey and Ashley Wilson
Sioux Falls Argus

CHEROKEE, N.C. — The kids at Carol Oocumma’s school used to call her “Earthquake.”

The tall teenager with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes would seek comfort from the teasing by raiding the refrigerator.

She would spend afternoons eating leftover fry bread and fried chicken as she watched TV, and sneak candy bars into her room after her family had gone to bed.

By the time Oocumma reached eighth grade and enrolled in September at Wellspring Academy, a weight-loss boarding school in Brevard, N.C., she carried 270 pounds on her 5-foot-8 frame.

Oocumma’s story is not so different from many children in the United States, where more than one-third of children are either obese or at risk of becoming obese, putting them at increased risk for diabetes, hypertension and stroke, among other diseases.

Over the past 30 years, the obesity rate has nearly tripled for children ages 2-5 and youths 12-19, and nearly quadrupled among those ages 6-11, according to the Institute of Medicine.

For Oocumma, 14, the extra weight meant nights crying to her mother about the teasing at school, not being able to play softball because her legs hurt when she ran, and years of trying and failing at fad diets by the time she reached middle school.

One night the Oocummas were watching a TV show and learned about Wellspring, a weight loss boarding school that one of the girls on the show had attended in California.

Research on the Internet revealed that the school had a campus in Brevard.

Oocumma decided she wanted to go to the school and the family had to find a way to pay the $6,250 a month tuition which is not covered by most insurance policies.

The Oocummas, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, asked the tribe to allow the teenager to withdraw money from her per capita account. The money, which comes from casino operations, is held for members until they graduate from high school but can be accessed for health or educational reasons.

The board approved the money.

To qualify for the funds, a tribal doctor Bullock gave Oocumma a full exam and discovered that the then 13-year-old had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and was considered morbidly obese, putting her at a high risk of developing diabetes.

As an American Indian, Carol already has genetics working against her. Native Americans have high rates of obesity and diabetes, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among children is higher for Native Americans than compared with that of any other ethnic group, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oocumma entered Wellspring in September. There was no TV to sit idly in front of. Instead of coming home and eating Ruffles cheddar and sour cream potato chips, Oocumma now spent her free time playing games outside with her classmates.

In therapy sessions, Oocumma learned that she ate because she was angry and kept her emotions bottled up.

Students and teachers at the school said Oocumma was friendly, outgoing and made friends easily and was always up for a game or a joke.

After six months, she was almost 80 pounds lighter.