Reporter live tweets former world's fattest man's epic surgery

[SteveAustin]

Reporter live tweets former world's fattest man's epic surgery

Yahoo and Agencies
April 30, 2015, 7:11 am



WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A man once dubbed the fattest in the world has undergone surgery to remove of 45 kilograms of excess skin.

Paul Mason lost half his body weight and found love after life-changing surgery. Photo: Facebook

Paul Mason, 54, from Ipswich in England, used to weigh 445 kilograms but has lost about 285 kilograms following gastric band surgery.

Now living in America, he is engaged and has managed to raise funds online to remove 45 kilograms of his excess skin - particularly from an area around the waist known as 'the apron' and from his 'bat wing' arms.

Writing on Mason's official Facebook page, his fiancee Rebecca Mountain said he is in the intensive care unit and recovering well.

"They plan to get him on his feet and walking. Everything went perfectly according to the surgeons," Ms Mountain wrote.

"There are no words to express how incredible this surgery will be for Paul.

Everyday things most of us take for granted will now be possible for him, like getting into a car without a struggle and going to the movies and sitting in a regular seat."

Ahead of the surgery, Mr Mason was working hard on upper body strength training.

"Recently, an X-ray has shown some shadow spots on his leg bone and arthritis in the joint, so Paul has to wait for test results before incorporating leg exercise into his routine," Ms Mountain said.

She added the operations would make Mr Mason more mobile and better able to exercise.

His appeal has so far raised more than $US5000 ($A6235) of a $US12,000 target.