Lying helpless in her bed, 36-year-old Egyptian Eman Ahmed, who weighs 500 kg, has no option but to count the days until she gets help that she so desperately needs. Read her story
Eman, the toddler
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Lying helpless in her bed, 36-year-old 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 desolate.
Eman at age six
Her 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 risk.
The 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 mid-day over the phone from their home in Alexandria.
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The family had even considered bringing her down to Mumbai via sea, but were advised against it. "We can't take the risk. In case of a medical emergency, we won't be able to get help her in the middle of the ocean," Shaima said.
Eman today
Many complications As first reported in mid-day on December 6, India's 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 Swaraj.
A 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 Lakdawala's diagnosis, Eman is in urgent need of surgery. The high-risk 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 lungs].
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Shaimaa, who is an engineer by training, was forced to quit her job when she had to turn into Eman's 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 said.
But, every day poses a new challenge for the women. "Eman cannot do anything by herself. She can't 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 doesn't feel lonely," said Shaimaa.
After Eman's 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 tough."
To 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 can't break rules. They started the construction 15 days ago without securing an official nod from our end," said a senior officer from D ward.
With every string of hope slowly snapping, the Ahmed family is now clinging to prayer to ensure that Eman survives.
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