'My 600-lb Life': How Dr Younan Nowzaradan retained his star status despite the medical lawsuits against him
Dr Younan Nowzaradan became a fan favorite ever since he first appeared on the show 'My 600-lb Life'. The show follows the lives of ordinary people struggling with extraordinary obesity and they document the trials of these people before, during, and after weight loss surgery. This is where Dr Nowzaradan or Dr Now comes into the picture.
If you have seen the show, you will know that Dr Nowzaradan is known to put forward a helping hand for anyone who comes into the hospital. We have seen many successful cases and some unsuccessful ones ever since the show first aired. More often than not, it is his crucial medical intervention that helps save the lives of the show's participants. However, one thing that goes unnoticed is the life of the Iranian- American doctor behind the camera. As part of his profession, the surgeon has performed over 2,000 weight loss surgeries, some of which were on the most challenging patients in the world but are all of them legit? Is he really that adept? Turns out the truth is far from that but not much is spoken about that.
Back in 2012, Dr Nowzaradan had a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against him by one of his patients named Michelle Park. Park had come to him for gastric bypass surgery. While she thought that the surgery was successful, she was shocked to find out a couple of days later that she had a 7-inch piece of tubing left inside her body after the surgery.
However, she later dropped the lawsuit and no one really knows why. But this was not the only allegation that has been leveled against the famous surgeon. In 2007, Colleen Shepherd tried to sue Dr Nowzaradan after her daughter, Tina passed away after getting a gastric bypass surgery by him, as reported by Monagiza.
Five years after this, another patient's family member accused him of the same. However, he denied both the claims and the lawsuits against him were dropped. Apart from the lawsuits, Dr Nowzaradan also has cultivated an image of being a stern man and having not-so-pleasant bedside manners. Many viewers have raised their concerns over it as they believe it affects the mental health of the patient.
Moreover, the patients who have appeared on the show have spoken about how there is a different doctor that has been appointed to them off the camera while Dr Nowzaradan just takes his place while the camera is rolling.
Despite all these negative reviews and malpractice lawsuits claiming to drag him down the star surgeon's success does not seem to be on the wane. His years of practice, skills and success rates are probably the reason why patients on the show who don't live within driving distance of his practice move closer to his establishment for the year-long duration of the program in order to receive treatment. Plus while other doctors hesitate to perform surgery on overtly obese patients, Dr Nowzaradan has opened his clinic's doors to such patients who have limited avenues of treatment.
It seems like he has managed to leave a mark on people by showing how he loves to help people who need help. In fact, there have been times on the show when he has asked a patient to come back to him once they have got their act together.
It looks like his on-camera persona helps people to look away from his off-camera persona and we must say that it is working.
'My 600-lb Life' airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm ET on TLC.