In order to transport a woman weighing 391 kilograms from her house to a clinic, the fire brigade in France came with 40 emergency services and even broke down walls. The American was taken from the village of Stenay in eastern France to a clinic in Nancy, as reported by the France 3 broadcaster. An ambulance for overweight people borrowed from Belgium was used. The operation had been prepared for months.
The woman, who has lived in the village not far from the border with Belgium and Luxembourg for around 20 years, had previously refused medical help, as the broadcaster reported. An operation of this kind, with such a high degree of complexity, has never happened in France, said the chief of cabinet of the prefect of the Meuse department, Bernard Burckel.
A wall on the first floor of the house had to be torn down, and holes were chiseled in the ceiling. The patient was finally heaved out through the ground floor window of the old pottery. In addition to specialized firefighters, doctors and nursing staff were also on duty. Some roads in the area have been closed.
