Julie Welsh

Lawrence's Conner will headline the Obesity Benefit Concert, which was organized to honor the late Joe Welsh and to help people suffering from health and weight problems.

Twins Julie and Joe Welsh seemed like total opposites. Julie worked as a personal trainer and graduated Kansas University with an exercise science degree in 2003. She loved to run and bike.

Joe hadn’t been interested in sports much past childhood. And after he graduated Shawnee Mission East High School in 1994 he started putting on a considerable amount of weight. Although only 5 feet 6 inches tall, he topped out at nearly 300 pounds.

Sadly, Joe’s battles with his weight led to increasingly serious health problems.

In September he died of an enlarged heart.

“After my brother’s passing, I felt like I was meant to help people with health and weight problems,” Julie says.

That inspired Julie to organize the Obesity Benefit Concert in honor of her brother. Tonight’s show at The Granada, 1020 Mass., will feature live music by area acts Conner, Juggs and Cool Jade.

“You don’t hear about concerts concerning obesity,” Julie says. “There is cancer awareness and everything else, but nothing for obesity.”

All proceeds from the concert will benefit the new Center for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Weight Management, a joint project between Kansas University and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

Those attending the event won’t merely be treated to some energetic live bands. They’ll also be eligible for substantial giveaways on the basis of simply filling out a questionnaire.

Top prizes include:

1. Seventeen-week weight-loss program/nutrition program at Metabolic Research Center, 1420 Wakarusa Drive.

2. A 12-week nutrition program at Perfect Balance Weight Management Center, 935 Iowa.

3. One meal a day for 30 days at Local Burger, 714 Vt., and a shopping spree for healthy food options.

“It’s a good way to put out the word that people need to start taking care of their bodies; otherwise, they’re going to have complications,” says Gina Fisch, owner of Perfect Balance.

Her business will provide 12 weeks of one-on-one counseling to the winner.

“We’ll set them up on an eating program, do their initial body fat analysis and repeat that every three weeks to make sure what we’re putting together for them is moving body fat,” she explains.

Fisch had never met Julie or Joe Welsh. She got involved on the sole basis of a phone call from Julie.

Fisch says, “People do not start taking care of their body until they are really overweight or until they go to the doctor and the doctor says, ‘You’ve got to do something now because you’ve got heart disease and diabetes.’ Then it’s so hard because you have all these illnesses that cause so many side effects that it becomes so much more difficult to lose the weight. So if we can catch it before all the disease processes are involved, they’ll live a much longer, healthier life.”

Increasing difficulties

Joe was attempting to take control of his health issues prior to his death.

“He had a sleep study done and was set up on a BiPAP machine. He got off the machine because he lost weight and was able to sleep fine. But after a while he started putting it back on – more than before,” Julie recalls.

His sleeping and breathing difficulties caused him to be unusually tired during the day. He was in the process of consulting with a doctor to determine if surgery could help his problems.

“The last time I saw him I was really concerned because his voice had changed,” Julie says. “It wasn’t the normal sound of my brother. He had a message in his voicemail, and you could just tell his voice was different. I actually called my mom and told her I was really concerned.”

Joe died at age 32.

Musical bond

One of Joe’s passions was music.

“You could ask him a question about, say, The Doobie Brothers, and he could tell you what song came out what year. He had knowledge of weird facts like that,” Julie says.

Among Joe’s closest group of friends were the members of Juggs, a Kansas City-area group that plays a mix of originals and covers.

“It prompted me to do this as a benefit concert,” Julie says. “Juggs are all his buddies. This band would jam every Friday, and he’d get there after working at Lowe’s – even though he had to work until 10 p.m. – and hang out and watch.”

Also performing at the benefit are flagship Lawrence rock act Conner and young Ottawa outfit Cool Jade.

Julie hopes the live music will attract people to the event, but the overall health message will be heard just as clearly.

“Don’t wait to change,” advises Julie, who has started a blog to track the progress of the giveaway winners (joewelsh.blogspot.com).

“If people are more aware that you can do a little extra every day, it will help you to do a lifestyle change. It’s all about how you eat and exercise. People should change today and not wait until tomorrow – otherwise it could be too late.”