Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, reportedly the world’s heaviest person tipping the scales at 500kg, has been airlifted from her homeland of Egypt to Mumbai, India, in a specially modified cargo plane to have lifesaving weight-loss surgery.
The 36-year-old has gained weight at an alarming rate since she was diagnosed with elephantiasis – a condition that causes severe swelling of the limbs – as a child.
But the number on the scales wasn’t her only problem. She also suffered a stroke which left her right arm and leg paralysed and affected her speech.
To get a better understanding of how much her condition has affected her life, Eman was unable to move from her bed and had not left her house for 25 years.
Travelling with a team of two doctors and her sister, Shaimaa Ahmed, Eman arrived safely in Mumbai without any complications. After she was transported to Saifee Hospital via truck, Eman was lifted by a crane to the first floor of the hospital where she will undergo a series of tests over several months before doctors carry out the lifesaving weight loss surgery.
“She will need a series of bariatric procedures at optimal times over the next few years to achieve best results,” said Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, one of India’s leading bariatric surgeons.
