He was once the world's fattest man weighing in at a staggering 70 stone and consuming up to 20,000 calories a day.
But after losing 48 stone following NHS surgery, Paul Mason has found love with a woman who is determined to raise enough money for his follow-up operation to remove his eight stone of excess skin.
Rebecca Mountain, of Orange, near Boston, Massachusetts, got in touch with 52-year-old Mr Mason via Facebook after she saw a television documentary about his extreme obesity.
And such if the businesswoman's strong love for Mr Mason, that she says that should the potentially life-changing operation to remove his skin end in him being left wheelchair-bound, it would not bother her.
She said in an interview with The Recorder that far too many people search for relationships 'based on superficial things … like looks and money … but that means possibly overlooking what could be an amazing relationship.
She accepts the risk that Mason’s mobility may not improve following the skin removal operations - which are expected to cost around $16,000 - but says that is something she is prepared to support him in.
Initially the designer could not appreciate just how Mr Mason had become so heavy.
She told The Recorder: 'I was never someone who made fun of heavy people but I am someone who’s been very judgmental … I thought, how could he let this happen to himself?'
But after seeing just how damaging and severe Paul's addiction was made her empathise with him, and she was inspired by his determination to lose weight.
And when she learned of the cost that it would take to remove Mr Mason's excess skin and the health problems it was causing, she resolved to help by setting up a web page to help him, and contacted him through Facebook.
Speaking on This Morning, Miss Mountain said as soon as she found out about Paul and his struggle to get the NHS to remove his excess skin removed she was keen to help: 'I saw Paul's documentary years and years ago and just felt really connected right away.
'I just felt compelled to reach out and just try to help and that's all it was.
'I have a lot of drive and just thought I could write letters and support. Things I set my sights on, I just go and do. I just knew that I should try and help.
'He's incredible, a genuine person. Incredibly honest and open about the difficulties he's been through, which helped our relationship.'
Speaking about how their cyber relationship developed, Paul, of Ipswich, Suffolk, said: 'Our first chat on Skype was over four hours and it just felt like we'd been talking for years.
'At the end of the conversation, I just said to her "what time tomorrow then?"
Mountain said she never found a deep connection with other men and found it tiring trying to meet other men.
She said: 'I got exhausted with dating. The people I would date… I didn't like myself as much when I was with them.'
At the end of another four-hour Skype conversation with Mason, she announced: 'I really like you,' and the two have been together ever since.
After hours of Skye sessions and Facebook chats, the couple met for the first time in real life this week.
'When I met her at the airport, it was far better than the picture you see on Skype, it was so natural - like meeting someone you've met ten years ago,' Paul said.
Paul now plans to move to America and help Rebecca with her business.
Despite having gastric bypass surgery four years ago and losing a staggering 48 stone - Paul has been left with eight stone of excess skin.
Speaking about the operation he needs to remove the skin that stops him from mobilising, he said: 'To have that operation, I have to prove I am a stable weight.
'The NHS wait until your weight plateaus, it's a financial thing over here.'
A doctor in New York has offered her services to remove his excess skin for free.
The only finances he has to find are the aftercare, the stay in hospital and the medication, which will cost around £12,000, which Miss Mountain is now raising on a fundraising web page.
Speaking tearfully about the impact of the operation on his relationship, he said: 'It's a question of whether she's prepared to stay with me whether the next operation is successful or not and if I'm in the wheelchair for the rest of my life.'
Miss Mountain added: 'Who is in there now is the person I love and whoever he is after the operation is irrelevant to me.
'I want him to achieve his goals and that's the most important thing.'
Mr Mason claimed his binge eating began in his 20s at the time of his father's death and a deterioration in his mother's health.
Mr Mason quit his job as a postman when his weight prevented him from completing his deliveries.
As his weight soared he was left unable to stand or walk before finally becoming bed-ridden and being looked after full time by council carers
Firefighters had to demolish the front wall of his former home so they could drive a fork lift truck inside to lift him out and put him into an ambulance when he needed a hernia operation in 2002.
Mr Mason was later given a purpose-built housing association home with extra wide doorways so he could move around.
At the height of his food addiction, he was eating an entire packet of bacon, four sausages and four eggs complete with bread and hash browns for breakfast.
He would then eat quadruple portions of fish and chips along with two kebabs for lunch followed by a roast dinner, curries or pizza and more chips in the evening.
But he's a new man now and is currently raising the funds he needs before he moves to America.
Speaking about his old self, he said: 'That's the old me that I'm moving away from, I am leaving that all behind.
But after losing 48 stone following NHS surgery, Paul Mason has found love with a woman who is determined to raise enough money for his follow-up operation to remove his eight stone of excess skin.
Rebecca Mountain, of Orange, near Boston, Massachusetts, got in touch with 52-year-old Mr Mason via Facebook after she saw a television documentary about his extreme obesity.
And such if the businesswoman's strong love for Mr Mason, that she says that should the potentially life-changing operation to remove his skin end in him being left wheelchair-bound, it would not bother her.
She said in an interview with The Recorder that far too many people search for relationships 'based on superficial things … like looks and money … but that means possibly overlooking what could be an amazing relationship.
She accepts the risk that Mason’s mobility may not improve following the skin removal operations - which are expected to cost around $16,000 - but says that is something she is prepared to support him in.
Initially the designer could not appreciate just how Mr Mason had become so heavy.
She told The Recorder: 'I was never someone who made fun of heavy people but I am someone who’s been very judgmental … I thought, how could he let this happen to himself?'
But after seeing just how damaging and severe Paul's addiction was made her empathise with him, and she was inspired by his determination to lose weight.
And when she learned of the cost that it would take to remove Mr Mason's excess skin and the health problems it was causing, she resolved to help by setting up a web page to help him, and contacted him through Facebook.
Speaking on This Morning, Miss Mountain said as soon as she found out about Paul and his struggle to get the NHS to remove his excess skin removed she was keen to help: 'I saw Paul's documentary years and years ago and just felt really connected right away.
'I just felt compelled to reach out and just try to help and that's all it was.
'I have a lot of drive and just thought I could write letters and support. Things I set my sights on, I just go and do. I just knew that I should try and help.
'He's incredible, a genuine person. Incredibly honest and open about the difficulties he's been through, which helped our relationship.'
Speaking about how their cyber relationship developed, Paul, of Ipswich, Suffolk, said: 'Our first chat on Skype was over four hours and it just felt like we'd been talking for years.
'At the end of the conversation, I just said to her "what time tomorrow then?"
Mountain said she never found a deep connection with other men and found it tiring trying to meet other men.
She said: 'I got exhausted with dating. The people I would date… I didn't like myself as much when I was with them.'
At the end of another four-hour Skype conversation with Mason, she announced: 'I really like you,' and the two have been together ever since.
After hours of Skye sessions and Facebook chats, the couple met for the first time in real life this week.
'When I met her at the airport, it was far better than the picture you see on Skype, it was so natural - like meeting someone you've met ten years ago,' Paul said.
Paul now plans to move to America and help Rebecca with her business.
Despite having gastric bypass surgery four years ago and losing a staggering 48 stone - Paul has been left with eight stone of excess skin.
Speaking about the operation he needs to remove the skin that stops him from mobilising, he said: 'To have that operation, I have to prove I am a stable weight.
'The NHS wait until your weight plateaus, it's a financial thing over here.'
A doctor in New York has offered her services to remove his excess skin for free.
The only finances he has to find are the aftercare, the stay in hospital and the medication, which will cost around £12,000, which Miss Mountain is now raising on a fundraising web page.
Speaking tearfully about the impact of the operation on his relationship, he said: 'It's a question of whether she's prepared to stay with me whether the next operation is successful or not and if I'm in the wheelchair for the rest of my life.'
Miss Mountain added: 'Who is in there now is the person I love and whoever he is after the operation is irrelevant to me.
'I want him to achieve his goals and that's the most important thing.'
Mr Mason claimed his binge eating began in his 20s at the time of his father's death and a deterioration in his mother's health.
Mr Mason quit his job as a postman when his weight prevented him from completing his deliveries.
As his weight soared he was left unable to stand or walk before finally becoming bed-ridden and being looked after full time by council carers
Firefighters had to demolish the front wall of his former home so they could drive a fork lift truck inside to lift him out and put him into an ambulance when he needed a hernia operation in 2002.
Mr Mason was later given a purpose-built housing association home with extra wide doorways so he could move around.
At the height of his food addiction, he was eating an entire packet of bacon, four sausages and four eggs complete with bread and hash browns for breakfast.
He would then eat quadruple portions of fish and chips along with two kebabs for lunch followed by a roast dinner, curries or pizza and more chips in the evening.
But he's a new man now and is currently raising the funds he needs before he moves to America.
Speaking about his old self, he said: 'That's the old me that I'm moving away from, I am leaving that all behind.
'All the problems I went through were worth it [for love].'
Source : DailyMail , The Recorder
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