Mathew Harrington, a 31 year old American transplant, found himself on the floor of his apartment in China, unable to move. He screamed until his throat bled, and a neighbor finally came to his rescue. This wasn&apos;t even close to the beginning, or the end, of his story. Back in states and determined to meet the weight loss requirements in order to have bariatric surgery, Mathew is fighting for his life, and he&apos;s kicking ass. If you enjoy this or other episodes of The Lighter Side, please consider contributing the show&apos;s Patreon at <a href='http://patreon.com/lightersidepodcast'>patreon.com/lightersidepodcast</a><a rel="payment" href="http://patreon.com/lightersidepodcast">Support the show</a> (http://patreon.com/lightersidepodcast)

Don't Ring the Bell

It started as a weight loss podcast, which quickly became a mental health podcast, which somehow became a pandemic podcast.  Jay, your host  (anxiety/depression/OCD/childhood trauma/family addiction)  lost 185 lbs after having bariatric surgery.  Guests have ranged from actor Ken Marino to a woman you have never heard of who lost 250 lbs, to a recovering addict, to essential workers during COVID-19. In 2020, the show became daily and ran for 100 episodes in 100 days. The culmination of everything The Lighter Side strove to be, Jay created an oral history of the pandemic, as told through the voices of the people who lived through it. There's something for everyone on the Lighter Side.