World’s Heaviest Man Dies Despite Weight Loss Surgery
Despite having weight loss surgery, the world’s heaviest man died on Christmas day in Ciudad Obregón, southern Mexico.
Andres Moreno Sepulveda, a 38-year-old man, once weighed 980 pounds at his heaviest, according to The Telegraph. His weight kept him from getting out of bed, cleaning himself, and doing the things that many other people take for granted every day.
According to an earlier article from The Sun, Sepulveda had a heart attack scare, which prompted him to take a look at weight loss surgery. The man hoped the weight loss surgery would help him to lose enough weight to get out of bed and become more mobile.
Two months ago, Sepulveda was transferred to the north-west Mexican state of Sonora from his home in the city of Ciudad Obregon to the Hospital Arboledas in Guadalajara. Firemen were called in to help with the transportation of the large man to the hospital.
Doctors were concerned their operating table would not hold his weight, but it did and doctors were able to remove part of Sepulveda’s stomach. The doctors used a less invasive procedure to reduce the risks to the patient and to improve healing time. The gastric bypass surgery would hopefully help the man to lose weight rather quickly.
Sepulveda was hopeful the surgery would work for him to change his life and said, “I start a journey that must carry me to a new phase of life, a new chapter, and I hope to [be] a new book altogether, different and far from the prison that my own body has become.”
Sepulveda said he had been heavy all of his life, starting when he was born. He weighed 13 pounds at birth, and his weight only continued to increase in large amounts over time.
Although it was reported that Sepulveda had been doing well following the weight loss surgery, he had previously suffered at least two heart attacks before the surgery. This likely left him at risk for more heart attacks in the future.
Carmen Palacios, who had been helping Sepulveda during his weight loss rehabilitation process for about a year, explained the heavy man’s last moments as he suffered a heart attack.
“He was doing well, but he had had two previous heart attacks. He became short of breath, and died in the ambulance.”
She added that “he was really happy” while on his weight loss journey. He had just recently began walking again with support and was doing things he hadn’t done in a long time. The man was finally able to wear trainers and wash himself again after his weight loss. His supporters were looking forward to his transformation that was sadly not to come.
“I want to thank everyone, especially Ronaldo, for taking interest in my case. Sometimes you think that people live in another world way from the people, but that is not the case. I feel as if I have got a Christmas gift before Christmas.”
Andres Moreno Sepulveda will be buried on Saturday in Sonora.
[Photo by China Photos/Getty Images]
