Once named the “world’s heaviest woman,” Eman Abdul Atti died on Monday of complications from heart disease and kidney dysfunction, CNN reports.
The 37-year old weighed 1,102 pounds prior to having weight reduction surgery in Mumbai in March, her family reported.
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Atti underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy — a procedure that involves removing part of the stomach so that only a thin portion remains — to manage her weight and help her take control of her diet.
She had lost more than 200 pounds leading up to the operation, and her vitals were positive following the procedure. “She is very happy, she started dancing in her bed,” surgeon Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala told CNN following her procedure. “Her smile has come back.”
Though she didn’t walk after her procedure, Atti reportedly lost more than 660 pounds following her sleeve procedure, according to Fox News.
Atti had dealt with weight issues throughout her life, suffering from a thyroid condition since she was a child. Her underactive thyroid drastically slowed her metabolism, making moving and walking so difficult that she quit school when she was in fifth grade.
The family reported that Atti rarely left her room over the past two decades. She suffered a stroke which led to her rapidly declining health, and the inability to move or communicate caused her to carry over 1,000 pounds in weight.
When her sister reached out for help, Dr. Lakdawala offered to perform Atti’s surgeries, which would include two operations to reduce her weight to less than 220 pounds.
The family was hopeful Lakdawala’s three-and-a-half year plan would save Atti’s life, especially after her kidney function improved post-sleeve surgery.
But Anti was tranferred to Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi instead, where a diversely specialized team of more than 20 doctors cared for her. It was here where her heart and kidneys gave out.
“Our prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to her family,” the hospital said in a statement, CNN reports.
