| Quinn Bartlett struggled with her weight and abuse from her mother. At 37, her search for love and acceptance is ongoing. I was always a big, healthy girl — always was the biggest, tallest in the class. I was always teased, always shunned. I was never part of the girls’ clique. Family never supported me — especially my mom. So I had no support, which made me introverted and afraid to talk. I grew up thinking that my mom hated me. At a young age, I even thought about suicide. And I didn’t know what it felt like to be loved — by anyone — until I was 16 when I met a girl. We just automatically connected and considered ourselves “distant cousins” as if we were more family than best friends. She saw how I was suffering and she felt bad. As little girls, we would fantasize about getting married and having big weddings, and how we would include each other. So when she called me to tell me she was getting married, I was happy. But then … a bomb. “I’m having all petite girls in my wedding party — you’ve got to lose some of that weight.” | 
