You asked if Debra’s death was related to her illness. I say secondarily. In Debra’s mind, there was a house with 13 floors and a basement. Debra lived on the second floor with 5 other people, each with their own room. Lump and Slug were on the 6th floor. Their bodies were so large that there was only room for the two of them on that floor. She had one personality named Lump and one named Slug. They were husband and wife, but they got so large that Debra wasn’t sure which was which. They spent all of their time eating. She ate herself to death.

I new 46 individuals and we were aware of about 50 partly developed babies and todlers.

Thanks for asking about Debra. It helps with my grieving to talk about her.
When I met Debra she weighed about 300 lbs. She found comfort in eating since she was a small child. The last time she went to the hospital she was about 700 lbs. She had asthma, osteo arthritis, degenerative joint disease in her lower spine, venous insufficiency, type 2 diabetes, depression and DID. She was taking 40mg of Oxycontin three times a day and she was still in pain.
She decided to try to lose weight by not eating and she wasn’t drinking enough fluids. She went into acute kidney failure and was taken to the hospital on March 27, 2008. She had all the challenges of a bariatric patient. She was put on a BiPAP machine and oxygen. She lost about 250 lbs in 2 months with a hospital diet and resistance band exercise. She got leg wraps for venous insufficiency.
I was very impressed by the staff at the hospital she went to.
Debra suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder and was bipolar.

I noticed one of her personalities in 1997 when we were riding a lift equipped bus together. Debra rode the bus because of her old knee injuries. I was in a wheelchair because of Multiple Sclerosis.
I noticed a dramatic change in her facial expression and saw Ann for the first time. We had not spoken, yet, but I recognized the change for what it was. I learned the names, faces, voices and histories of about 20 personalities in the first 3 years I knew her. We married May 23, 2000.

Our marriage was about trust because I had to react safely at any moment to whoever happened to show up. That meant I had to react appropriately, even in our most intimate moments, if someone other than Debra was there. Ann, the five year old girl I saw on the bus who was afraid of men, asked me to be her daddy.

Debra weighed about 300 lbs when we first met. In March of 2008, she weighed 800 lbs and suffered from a plethora of sequalae due to her weight. Complications included asthma, degenerative joint disease in her lower spine, rheumatoid arthritis, type II diabetes, eczema and numerous allergies. She was in constant pain, even with 20 mg of Oxycontin twice a day. The narcotics caused constipation and she suffered from hemorrhoids. I assisted her because she couldn’t clean herself at the toilet.
She was admitted to Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon on March 27, 2008. By this time, I knew over 100 personalities and each traumatic story, the first being the rape by her father when she was an infant. In April, she spoke to her father and told him she was aware of what he had done to her and she forgave him. He accepted her forgiveness, forcing him to live with that awareness and guilt for the rest of his life.
She was put on a BiPAP machine to get oxygen into her lungs. In May, the staff decided to focus on making Debra comfortable because they had done all they could to improve her physical health. On May 23 I visited Debra and wished her happy anniversary. She spent time speaking to a pastor and making peace with God on the 24th. I saw her and asked how the medicine was affecting her personalities. She said they were all gone. At this point I was very depressed. I asked her what could I do when she was gone? Her answer was elegant. She said, “everything”. On Sunday, 05/25/08, she was on a Morphine drip all afternoon to keep her comfortable. Her sisters, father and stepmother came to see her.
At 10:05 Debra stopped breathing and I alerted her doctor. She removed Debra’s nasal canula and BiPAP mask. Dr. Ferguson checked her pulse and pronounced her dead at 10:10 pm.Now I am doing what I can to support anyone I meet with DID by being an actively caring listener. I try to share the compassion she taught me. If you have questions or coments about DID, please visit my friend Sherry’s website at [link] You may be interested in seeing her artwork at [link]