Starving myself to death – story in CLOSER MAG
Aged just 17, Malissa Jones was once Britain’s fattest teen. When she first contacted Featureworld, she weighed a massive 34 stones and was one of the youngest people in the UK to undergo a gastric bypass. The drastic operation led Malissa to lose 26stones and should have meant Malissa could finally lead a normal life.
But sadly issues with her body continued. Malissa was left with lots of sagging skin and her body found it difficult to absorb food properly. Additionally it left her with liver problems.
The surgery also affected her fertility. Since 2011 she has endured multiple miscarriages and tragically gave birth to a son at 27 weeks. He lived for just one hour.
It was therefore a miracle when against all the odds, in July 2017, she had a healthy son, Louis. Malissa and her partner Paul were overjoyed. They were even more delighted when in August 2018 she got pregnant again with son Cobey. Only Malissa developed gestational diabetes and to control her sugar levels, began snacking on sweets. She began piling on the weight. By the time Cobey was born she weighed 16st (she had weighed 9st before). Desperate to lose the baby weight she went on a strict diet. However, when cutting out sweets and fizzy drinks didn’t work, she stopped eating all together.
She didn’t even tell Paul, covering up her extreme weightloss in baggy clothes. After 17 days of virtually no food Malissa’s hair began falling out, she felt cold and her leg began to swell,
Her GP admitted her to hospital where shocked doctors discovered her internal organs were shutting down. Malissa was put into a coma for six weeks while medics battled to save her.
Doctors did save Malissa’s life but her liver was damaged beyond repair. If she doesn’t get a liver transplant in the next year she could die.
Malissa told her plight to Closer mag where her tragic story appeared on the front cover and over two pages. She says: ‘I have to face the fact this could be my last Christmas with my boys. I just wish I’d lost weight the healthy way.’
Featureworld has represented Malissa for over ten years. Read more about her weight battle
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