Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, said to be the heaviest woman in the world, landed at Mumbai’s international Terminal 2 airport at 3.05 a.m. on Saturday. Her doctor, Muffazal Lakdawala, who will conduct her bariatric surgery, was there to receive her along with a group of people who were there to move Ms. Ahmed, who weighs 500 kg..
A battery of photographers was waiting for Ms. Ahmed as the truck came out of the cargo gate and stopped for a while to allow them to click pictures. Dr. Lakdawala smiled and waved at everyone. He kept checking on his patient at regular intervals, as did her sister, who could be seen constantly speaking into Ms. Ahmed’s ears.
“All we can say is that she came in smiling. And her smile tells a story itself,” said a doctor who was a part of the team that received Ms. Ahmed.
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Ms. Ahmed smiled and posed for pictures with each one of them, before the convoy, consisting of a police jeep, an ambulance and the car of the Consul General of Egypt, set out for Saifee Hospital.
Ms. Ahmed travelled in a specially modified goods truck that was kept half open and sported banners with Saifee Hospital’s branding all over.
It is for the first time in 25 years that Ms. Ahmed has stepped out of her home in Alexandria, Egypt.
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While the truck looked feeble to carry Ms. Ahmed and six other people, including her sister Shaima, and Dr. Lakdawala, the 110-minute journey went on smoothly despite the bumpy Western Express Highway.
A well-coordinated effort
The traffic police was also in the loop and had planned out the route from the airport to the hospital. While all flyovers were avoided, an exception was made when they headed for the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. “We simply ensured a safe passage for her throughout the journey. There was no need for a green corridor as she was travelling very early in the morning,” said traffic police chief Milind Bharambe. He said all the traffic divisions came together for co-ordination.
The truck carrying Ms. Ahmed maintained a speed of around 40 kmph throughout the journey.
At 6.13 a.m., Ms. Ahmed reached Saifee Hospital on Charni Road, where it took 24 minutes for a crane to lift her bed and place it on the parapet of a two-storey building, from where she was wheeled into the first floor ward created exclusively for her. In a welcome gesture, the entrance was decorated with fresh flowers.
Once inside, Ms. Ahmed was shifted to a large bed. Besides a large number of Saifee Hospital staff who would be taking care of her, a camera will be recording the entire treatment process. A well-known production house, famous for popular reality shows, is believed to have been hired for filming Ms. Ahmed’s treatment.
The road ahead
It will be nearly a month before Ms. Ahmed finally goes under the knife. According to Dr. Lakdawala, no one has examined her previously so a lot of medical tests will be conducted.
She also needs to shed several kilos before she is ready for the surgery.