Egyptian national Eman Ahmed, once the world's heaviest woman, succumbed to her condition on 25 September at Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel Hospital where she was being treated. Her doctors say her death resulted from underlying comorbid conditions, including heart disease and kidney dysfunction.
Ahmed was moved to Burjeel Hospital following a public spat with her doctors at Mumbai's Saifee Hospital, after surgeon Muffazal Lakdawala asked Ahmed to return home and continue her rehabilitation there.
Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Lakdawala expressed sorrow at Eman's death, saying she wasn't just a patient, she was like family.
The first time I met her in Egypt, I decided I would do my best to make her life better. She weighed 500 kg when we brought her here for treatment. When she was discharged, her weight was 175 kg.Dr Muffazal Lakdawala to Mumbai Mirror
Lakdawala said Ahmed's death came as a shock. According to him, if there were serious complications after the bariatric surgery his team performed on her at Saifee, Ahmed may not have lived for more than a month. The fact that she lived for five months is a sign that the surgery was a success, says Lakdawala.
The way she was improving we never thought this would happen. According to reports in the media, she suffered multiple organ failure. The doctors who were treating her should provide an explanation as to what happened suddenly.Dr Muffazal Lakdawala to Mumbai Mirror
At 500 kilos, 36-year-old Ahmed hadn’t stepped out of her home in 25 years before Dr Lakdawala and his team offered to perform a pro bono bariatric surgery at Saifee Hospital. Special provisions were made to fly her safely to India for surgery, and a crane had to be employed to shift her to her room at Saifee.
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