148-Kg Aurangabad Woman Crowdfunds Weight-Loss Surgery

A 148-kg woman hailing from a poor family hopes to get a new lease of life after she managed to 'crowd-fund' her bariatric surgery, an official said on Tuesday.

Bariatric surgical procedure causes weight loss by restricting the amount of food the stomach can hold.

The 38-year-old Zeenath Kausar Khan, a graduate, will be operated upon by Dr Ramen Goel at the Wockhardt Hospital tomorrow.

Her husband, a tailor, earns about Rs. 3,000 a month and barely survives on his paltry earnings along with their two children. Zeenath's medical condition prevents her from working, though she was once a teacher.

The Aurangabad-based woman was forced to give up her teaching job a few years ago after obesity severely restricted her normal movements and the condition worsened due to lack of money for her treatment.

"Feeling stuck by her condition, Zeenath took matters in her own hand and launched a crowdfunding campaign to generate finances for her bariatric surgery earlier this month," said Dr Goel.

The campaign, 'Help Zeenath Khan undergo a bariatric surgery' quickly went viral on the social media and she collected around Rs. 150,000 through online and offline donations.

The Wockhardt has decided to help Zeenath by waiving off the hospital and surgical charges to enable her get a new lease of life, Dr Goel added.

Dr Goel explained that Zeenath has been diagnosed as suffering from a genetic obesity and cannot lose weight by life-style modifications.

"She will need medical intervention and will undergo a sleeve gastrectomy in which her stomach size will be reduced by 80 per cent. Within a year, her weight will reduce by around 70-80 kg," he said.

A BMI of 58.8 putting her in the category of super morbidity obese, Zeenath suffered from obesity-induced knee and back pains, breathlessness, hypertension and related issues.

Dr Goel is optimistic that after her surgery and subsequent weight loss, she will become an earning member and contribute to the family's well-being.