Eman Abdul Atti, once believed to be the "world's heaviest woman," died on Monday due to complications from heart disease and kidney dysfunction, according to a statement from Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
The 37-year old Egyptian woman weighed 1,102 pounds (500 kg), her family reported, prior to undergoing weight reduction surgery at Saifee Hospital in Mumbai in March.
All signs looked positive immediately following the surgery for Eman, who had lost more than 200 pounds prior to the operation.
Eman's family said Eman had weighed 11 pounds (5 kg) at birth and suffered from thyroid problems since she was a child. The thyroid gland produces hormones that help regulate metabolism. By fifth grade, she'd stopped going to school because she'd begun to have difficulties moving and walking.
Eman overcame a number of hurdles to reach what her family had hoped to be a life-saving surgery in Mumbai, including an initial refusal to grant her a visa because of her inability to get to the embassy in person. After surmounting that problem with the help of an Indian minister, she then faced the difficulty of boarding an airplane.