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Last resort school for overweight teens
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Shari's challenge: A talent show and a trip home
It’s the beginning of spring, about two months into the program. And our three women are making great strides: Cassi the perfectionist has lost 32 lbs., more than halfway to her goal; Allison the actress is even closer to her finish line. She’s lost 35 lbs., with only 15 more to go.
Shari the singer has lost the most: 50 lbs., only ten pounds from her goal.
They’ve all cut minutes off their mile and seen their energy go up. And they’re dramatically reducing the risk of high blood pressure, one of the greatest health risks for these kids.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. There are other signs that Cassi, for example, is making real progress: She’s taking more pride in her looks.
“I’ve just been wearing more dresses and stuff since I’ve lost weight,” says Cassi.
And Shari the singer’s making progress, slowly starting to pull back that mask but realizing how hard it will be to take it off completely. “I know it’s going to be hard to deal with things that I’ve never talked about before," she says. "I’ve been telling myself that my weight’s not a problem. I’ve been telling myself that I don’t care. I’ve been telling myself that it doesn’t matter to me. But it’s hard to come here and realize that it really does matter to me.”
Ever since Shari was a child, she had this dream of getting up on a stage and singing. And each year, as she put on the pounds, even through her cheerleading years, she never forgot that part of her dream.
“I am 100 percent sure I really, really want to be a singer when I get older and that is totally like my life dream,” says Shari.
When Shari and her AOS friend Kat saw notices for a local talent show like “American Idol,” they decided to try their luck.
This was progress— getting the confidence to stand in the spotlight and not be embarrassed.
On the night of the show all the students were there to cheer them on and when Shari was on stage, it seemed like she was singing just to them.
“I was a little bit self-conscious before I went on the stage. But there’s just this thing inside of me. Like, when I get on stage, I’m just like, ‘Hey, you know, I am who I am. There’s not really anything that holds me back when I get up on stage.’”
But her biggest test was yet to come — it was time for spring break back at home, with all the temptations of the real world and none of the rules of AOS.
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Dateline NBC Shari Lininger |
"I don’t want anything to stand in the way for her," says Sandy. "And the one thing that would potentially stand in the way is her weight. Because I’ve seen it stand in the way for me."
Shari’s family, like a third of the students’ families, took out a loan to send her to AOS. At $5,500 a month, it’s expensive. They’re hoping insurance will cover a portion. But Sandy says she would have sold a kidney to pay for it.
“I didn’t want her to experience the prejudice that I’ve had to live with—like having to buy two airplane seats,” says Sandy.
As Shari returns to AOS after spring break, a crisis. At home, she hadn’t exercised enough and she’d indulged in some sweets. She’s worried she may not reach her weight goals and achiever her dream of being a professional singer.
“It’s a terrible feeling. Because you know that you’ve worked so hard to come to where you are. And nobody—no matter what they say, nobody likes to fail. Nobody likes to feel like they’ve done something for nothing.”
After being a star one night, Shari was back at the gym the next day. And still working, along with Cassi and Allison, to take off that mask they’ve all been wearing.
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