800-Pound Man Orders Pizza, Gets Kicked Out Of Hospital
WARWICK, R.I. (CBS/AP) — A Cranston man who weighs nearly 800 pounds has been kicked out of a hospital for ordering pizza.
Steven Assanti, 33, says he is addicted to food. He calls it a "disease."
He had been enrolled in a weight loss program at Rhode Island Hospital for the past 80 days and he claims he's lost more than 20 pounds.
Assanti said he ordered a pizza to reward himself for his progress but that was a violation of his care plan, so he was asked to leave Tuesday.
"I was supposed to stay there and lose all my weight and get down to 550 (pounds) to get the gastric bypass (surgery). That was their plan," he told WJAR-TV.
He is now living in the back of his father's SUV.
A hospital spokeswoman said Assanti was discharged, but she can't comment further due to confidentiality laws.
His father says social workers are trying to arrange for Assanti to stay at Kent Hospital through the weekend.
He says he cannot afford to put Assanti in a hotel and that they're considering an apartment complex in North Attleboro.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)