After 11 weight-loss surgeries, Nairobi woman, 32, gets a second shot at life

In 2011, a 17-year-old girl from Nairobi weighed a dangerous 200 kg and embarked on a grueling journey to reclaim her life. Over the next 15 years, she underwent 11 weight loss surgeries, each presenting unique challenges. By July 2021, she was critically ill, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, sepsis, an intestinal leak, and continuous pus drainage.

When Pune-based bariatric surgeon Dr. Shashank Shah met her in June, she simply expressed her desire to live. Her surgical journey began with a sleeve gastrectomy, which helped her lose 35 kg. However, in 2015, she underwent a banded Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, reducing her weight to around 90 kg. In 2020, she traveled to Dubai for another revision surgery.

Despite multiple procedures, she faced severe nutritional deficiencies, extreme weakness, and recurrent fainting attacks. Dr. Shah noted that her obesity likely stemmed from a genetic disorder, but repeated surgeries left her with severe complications. At Dr. Shah's center, her primary focus was stabilizing her condition, correcting nutritional deficiencies, and rebuilding her strength through nutritional support, medical care, and physiotherapy.

Once stable, they addressed the surgical defect by placing a stent to divert food and fluids from the affected area. She now weighs 86 kg and is expected to return to Nairobi in the next two days. Experts emphasize that obesity is a chronic disease influenced by genetic, metabolic, endocrine, environmental, psychological, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors, not simply a result of poor habits or lack of willpower.