For more than four decades, Kevin Stephens believed what so many people living with obesity are told: it was his fault.

“I always thought it was my fault; I didn’t exercise enough, I ate the wrong things,” says Kevin, who leads a human services department in Riverside County. “That’s a long, long time to feel like it’s always your fault.”

Everything changed when Kevin found the Obesity Action Coalition.

After gastric bypass surgery in 2011 helped him lose 220 pounds, a friend encouraged Kevin to check out OAC. His first Your Weight Matters Convention in Denver opened the door to a different kind of message rooted in science and compassion.

“The first thing OAC taught me is that obesity is a disease,” Kevin says. “And then I heard something that really stuck with me — a professional saying, ‘It’s not your fault.’ That changed my life.”

That moment didn’t just shift Kevin’s mindset. It sparked a passion for advocacy.

OAC equipped Kevin with the training and tools to advocate for policy change, including multiple trips to Capitol Hill to support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA).

His advocacy became personal when his doctor dismissed his request for GLP-1 medication — even after recommending surgery years earlier.

“I was shocked. That’s when I found a new doctor who actually understood obesity treatment.”

Now, Kevin serves on OAC’s Weight Bias Committee and continues to speak up for millions affected by weight bias and a lack of access to care.

With your gift, OAC can continue empowering advocates like Kevin to fight for:

  • Better insurance coverage for obesity treatments
  • Passage of TROA
  • Respectful, science-based medical care
  • Awareness that ends stigma and saves lives

Kevin believes the future can be different, and your support makes that hope real.

As OAC marks 20 years of progress, your gift ensures we can continue to push for national change, from policy to treatment access and public understanding.

Donate today and help write the next chapter: www.obesityaction.org/promise

Your Gift Powers the Next Chapter of Change.

Power the Next Chapter of Change!

Your gift today helps build a brighter, more compassionate and more accessible future for every person living with obesity. And because of the Board Match, every dollar you give becomes two — multiplying your impact.

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