Mumbai: Egyptian national Eman Ahmed (36), who was once the heaviest woman in the world, passed away around 4.35 am on Monday at the Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed died due to co-morbid conditions, including heart disease and kidney dysfunction, according to the hospital.
Ahmed, who suffered from a rare thyroid condition since childhood, weighed around 504kg before she was brought to Mumbai’s private Saifee Hospital on February 11 for weight-loss surgery. Thereafter, she shed around 300kg due to surgery and a special protein diet before shifting to Burjeel Hospital on May 4, after spending three months in Mumbai.
Ahmed was transferred to the Abu Dhabi hospital after an ugly spat broke out between her sister, Shaimaa Selim — who wanted her recovery to be speedy, and the Saifee doctors. According to doctors who were treating Ahmed at Burjeel Hospital, she had shown signs of improvement after shifting from Mumbai.
The hospital released a statement that read, “She had been under the supervision of a medical team of over 20 doctors from different specialities who were managing her medical condition from the time she arrived in the UAE. Our prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to her family.”
Ms Selim said, “Whatever happened was the decision of God and I pray for my sister.”
Asked what had happened after Ahmed was shifted to Abu Dhabi, Ms Selim said, “ I just want to say that Eman’s health improved in Burjeel Hospital, I want to thank Dr Shamsheer Vayalil for everything. He did all that was possible with special machines and a good medical staff.”
Confined to her bed for twenty-five years, Ahmed could not receive the necessary medical aid for her condition in her home country.
Ms Selim had started a social media campaign to seek help for her sister, but when she was refused a visa to India for her treatment bariatric surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala stepped in. Dr Lakdawala tweeted to India’s minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj to help Ahmed receive the required treatment.
Ahmed was then lifted out of her bed by a crane and placed in an Egypt Air cargo plane. After a seven-hour long flight, she was placed in a mini-truck at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport and transported to Saifee Hospital.
