Do-or-die! World's heaviest woman down to just one meal a day

Eman the toddlerLying helpless in her bed 36yearold Egyptian Eman Ahmed who weighs 500 kg has no option but to count the days until she gets help that she so desperately needs Eman who is dangerously obese and considered the heaviest woman alive is down to just one meal a day to stop herself from gaining kilos That no airline has been willing to airlift her into Mumbai where bariatric surgeon Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala is ready to operate her has left the family desolateEman at age sixHer mother and sister who have been caring for her every need have approached every possible airline but there is no one willing to take the riskThe family is even willing to break down the walls of their home when help arrives for Eman since there is little chance that she will fit through the doors Now we can only pray to God to save my sister Shaima said to midday over the phone from their home in AlexandriaAlso Read Surgery on heaviest woman in the world may have to waitThe family had even considered bringing her down to Mumbai via sea but were advised against it We cant take the risk In case of a medical emergency we wont be able to get help her in the middle of the ocean Shaima saidEman todayMany complications As first reported in midday on December 6 Indias External Affairs ministry had approved a medical visa for Eman a month ago after Dr Lakdawala chairman of the Institute of Minimal Invasive Surgical Sciences and Research Centre at Saifee Hospital had agreed to take up the case and tweeted to Sushma SwarajA prisoner in her own home Eman suffers from severe lymphoedema and water retention which had led to excessive weight gain over the years According to Dr Lakdawalas diagnosis Eman is in urgent need of surgery The highrisk patient has already suffered a stroke resulting in paralysis of her right arm and leg Apart from type 2 diabetes hypertension and hypothyroidism Eman also has severe obstructive and restrictive lung disease and is at the risk of pulmonary embolism clot in the lungsRead Story At 500 kg worlds fattest woman hasnt left her home in 25 yearsShaimaa who is an engineer by training was forced to quit her job when she had to turn into Emans caregiver since she was 11 and her movements were restricted The sisters lost their father a few years ago Their mother is now the sole breadwinner of the family It becomes tough for my mother to handle her alone In order to pitch in I left my job she saidBut every day poses a new challenge for the women Eman cannot do anything by herself She cant even move her body or take a turn on the bed She stares at the ceiling all day or watches TV placed right in front of her bed My mother and I talk to her so she doesnt feel lonely said ShaimaaAfter Emans case was brought up at the ministry in December Union Minister Sushma Swaraj immediately cleared her medical visa However that was only the first hurdle We have been trying to arrange for an airline but no one is ready to transport her from Egypt to Mumbai due to her weight It is getting toughTo add to their woes BMC recently instructed Saifee Hospital to stop the construction of the special operation theatre for Eman It will be a proud moment for us if Eman gets treated in Mumbai But the hospital cant break rules They started the construction 15 days ago without securing an official nod from our end said a senior officer from D wardWith every string of hope slowly snapping the Ahmed family is now clinging to prayer to ensure that Eman survives