Scared and desperate for help, 700-pound, 23-year-old Robert Gibbs turned to YouTube five days ago in a video plea titled “Overweight guy asks for help.” And the Internet delivered.
The simple video features Gibbs talking into the camera for three minutes. He tears up near the end when he admits he is “scared that I’m not going to be able to watch my nephew grow up.”
“I don’t know what else to do, this is my last chance,” he says, after asking people to pass around the video, to hopefully get the attention of “nutritionists, personal trainers,” and “Dr Phil.”
The heartfelt plea went viral over the weekend and currently sits at just under 1 million views, after exposure from various media outlets including ones from England and Australia.
And the video worked.
Gibbs was quickly interviewed by CBS, 24 hours after he posted his video. Gibbs told CBS reporters he is “a prisoner in his own body” and suffers from diabetes.
“I’m trapped, and there’s no way out.”
During the CBS interview, Gibbs was contacted by weight loss guru Chris Powell, and over the weekend, Gibbs received a call from Dr. Phil.
“I’m getting the exposure I needed,” said Gibbs in his CBS interview. “I better get ready for the tornado that’s about to become my life.”
