Morbidly obese woman bedridden for 3 years loses 596 lbs, becomes 'My 600-lb Life's' most successful patient
An obese woman, who was bedridden for nearly three years, has become My 600lb Life's most successful patient ever by shedding 596lbs (42.5 stone). The woman, who had to rely on children to wash and care for her over the past two years, has also learned how to walk again, according to reports. 51-year-old Milla Clark from Fayetteville, Tennessee, who is a mother of five children, decided to first consult weight loss expert Dr. Younan Nowzaradan over three years ago when her situation got worse.
Clark, who originally weighed 751lbs (53.6 stone), was completely immobile, largely because of a 43lb lymphedema on her leg, which was a painful swelling that left her in acute pain when she attempted to stand. As a result, she could not walk on her own in more than 13 years. When she got on the reality television show, she admitted that her life had become "miserable" because of her condition and all that she could do on her own was sleep and eat. Clark's weight loss journey began in 2017.
"Every single day of my life is miserable," she said at the time. "I have been trapped in these four walls for more than two years. During that time, I have not stood one time. All I can do is eat and sleep," the Daily Mail reported.
Clark became heavily dependent on her children to take care of her as they bathed her every morning to ensure she did not develop any infections. Three of her teenage children — Jacob, now 19, Hannah, 18, and Caleb, 18 — would wake up every morning before sunrise to wash her. While Hannah washed her mother's "private parts", Jacob held the lymphedema because it was so heavy that her daughter couldn't lift it and clean her simultaneously.
"It is such a humiliating thing," Clark said in 2017: "Children their age shouldn't have to take care of their parents." Clark reportedly struggled with her weight throughout her life with other children labeling her fat when she was only three years old. She stated that her relationship with food was difficult as her mother did not know any other way to show her affection other than feeding her and her sister. Clark met Elroy in high school and fell in love. The pair got married when she weighed over 400lbs.
"I was so in love with Elroy. I forgot I was fat for a minute," Clark said. Soon after their marriage, she gave birth to their first child, however, her increasing weight made it too risky for her to have more children. The couple eventually decided to adopt children, and they adopted four children from homes with drug-addicted parents.
With her situation looking bleak, Clark and her family decided to move to Houston, Texas, so she could consult with Dr. Nowzaradan. As he worked with her, he ensured that her children met with a dietician too so they would not enable her eating addiction when she was sent home. He explained to the family that she had to lose weight before they could operate on her to remover her lymphedema.
She was put on a weight loss program and Clark lost a 100lbs on her own and went on for the surgery. After her lymphedema was removed, she continued on her health journey, and once she was able to stand on her own, she underwent weightloss surgery.
The 51-year-old remained dedicated through this and faltered briefly only when her husband died of a heart attack two months into the filming the show. She was devastated because she could not leave her bed to visit him in the hospital before he passed away.
However, her children continued to motivate her to stick to her journey, and she became more determined to become a "proper mom" to her children. Once she got under 200lbs, Clark got both her knees replaced so she could finally stand upright without her cane.