The fattest man in Colombia had to call on a team of 20 men and a fire truck to take him to a weight-loss clinic so that he could receive urgent life-changing treatment.
After gorging on a diet of junk food for decades Oscar Vasquez Morales, 44, who clocks in at 63 stones - around 400kg or 882lbs - was warned that if he did not lose weight his condition would cost him his life.
In desperation he reached out to a local heart foundation, in the city of Palmira, and thankfully its team of specialists agreed to help him with a series of assessments and tests at their centre.
However, before he began his vital treatment he faced another obstacle – leaving his house.
Mr Morales needs assistance carrying out simple day-to-day activities such as going to the toilet and dressing himself and hasn’t walked unaided for years.
Leaving his home was always going to be a monumental task, but fortunately, when his local fire department heard about his plight they rushed to his aid and helped him on his way.
He will now undergo treatment from nutritionists, a psychologist and physicians before facing gastric surgery.
Mr Morales hopes to lose 47 stones (300kg/662lbs) in four years, with the treatment allowing him to live a normal life.
He said: 'When my whole family goes out for a walk, I stay alone, because I cannot move. But I would, even if it was only to walk a few blocks to visit my brothers.'
Even going to the toilet is a problem, he added: 'To go to the bathroom, I have to get out of bed with the help of my family.'
Mr Morales' battle with his weight stems from trauma caused by the death of his parents - both suffered fatal heart attacks just a year apart - when he was in his late teens.
He swiftly fell into deep depression and sought comfort in fast food and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Salvador Palacio, who runs the Antiochian Gorditos Heart Foundation treating Mr Morales, said he decided to help the patient because he needed to be 'rescued'.
The foundation receives 4,300 applications a year from Colombians with obesity problems.
Currently, 2,000 people are being treated there, out of the 200,000 who suffer the disease throughout the country, according to the Colombian Association of Obesity and Bariatric Surgery.
Mr Morales will now undergo a three-phased process - the implantation of a gastric balloon, then a gastric sleeve and finally a gastric bypass.
Among the discomfort he suffers on a daily basis are painful sores from the creases in his skin, severe pelvic lymphedema and sleep apnoea.
However, with the promise of a brighter future he is staying positive, he said: 'I want to take care of myself.'
After gorging on a diet of junk food for decades Oscar Vasquez Morales, 44, who clocks in at 63 stones - around 400kg or 882lbs - was warned that if he did not lose weight his condition would cost him his life.
In desperation he reached out to a local heart foundation, in the city of Palmira, and thankfully its team of specialists agreed to help him with a series of assessments and tests at their centre.
However, before he began his vital treatment he faced another obstacle – leaving his house.
Mr Morales needs assistance carrying out simple day-to-day activities such as going to the toilet and dressing himself and hasn’t walked unaided for years.
Leaving his home was always going to be a monumental task, but fortunately, when his local fire department heard about his plight they rushed to his aid and helped him on his way.
He will now undergo treatment from nutritionists, a psychologist and physicians before facing gastric surgery.
Mr Morales hopes to lose 47 stones (300kg/662lbs) in four years, with the treatment allowing him to live a normal life.
He said: 'When my whole family goes out for a walk, I stay alone, because I cannot move. But I would, even if it was only to walk a few blocks to visit my brothers.'
Even going to the toilet is a problem, he added: 'To go to the bathroom, I have to get out of bed with the help of my family.'
Mr Morales' battle with his weight stems from trauma caused by the death of his parents - both suffered fatal heart attacks just a year apart - when he was in his late teens.
He swiftly fell into deep depression and sought comfort in fast food and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Salvador Palacio, who runs the Antiochian Gorditos Heart Foundation treating Mr Morales, said he decided to help the patient because he needed to be 'rescued'.
The foundation receives 4,300 applications a year from Colombians with obesity problems.
Currently, 2,000 people are being treated there, out of the 200,000 who suffer the disease throughout the country, according to the Colombian Association of Obesity and Bariatric Surgery.
Mr Morales will now undergo a three-phased process - the implantation of a gastric balloon, then a gastric sleeve and finally a gastric bypass.
Among the discomfort he suffers on a daily basis are painful sores from the creases in his skin, severe pelvic lymphedema and sleep apnoea.
However, with the promise of a brighter future he is staying positive, he said: 'I want to take care of myself.'
Music: Sardana Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: DailyMail , Sohu , Elobservador
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