Crowd rescues 220kg man from sidewalk...
220kg man slips and falls on sidewalk, 20 people toil for 2 hours to stand him back up
BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON FEB 14, 2017 10:30 PM
While falling on your butt for most people wouldn't be such a big deal, if you happen to weigh 220kg, then it becomes a whole different story.
27-year-old Xiao Huang lives in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. Ever since he was young, he's always been a bit larger than his friends, but around 7 years ago, his weight really started to balloon, pushing him over 200kg and marking him as the "fattest person" in the city.
Not only did Xiao Huang's weight make it difficult for him to get around, it also made it hard for him to find a job. After graduating from technical school, he was unemployed and spent much of his time playing computer games.
In recent years, his parents have taken him to hospitals around the city, hoping for a weight loss cure. Unfortunately, nothing so far has worked and last year, Xiao Huang's weight tipped over 220kg.
Worried about his health, his family made Xiao Huang go on a diet at the start of the Chinese New Year. He began eating less, or sometimes nothing at all during meals, living on light snacks and water. The diet caused Xiao Huang to lose his strength and get dizzy easily. Earlier this month, he slipped in the bathroom and his parents were forced to call the police for help, Chutian Metropolis Daily reports.
Later, he was taken to the hospital for treatment. After one week in the hospital, he was released on Monday. His mother accompanied Xiao Huang to a taxi, but on the sidewalk, he accidentally slipped, lost his balance and ended up on his butt, unable to stand back up.
A crowd began to gather around the fallen Xiao Huang as his mother called emergency services for help. At around 11:14 a.m., a pair of police officers showed up to lend a helping hand, but couldn't manage to get Xiao Huang to budge. They called for backup and soon six or seven people were trying with all their might to get Xiao Huang back on his feet, with no success.
Finally, at around 12:15 p.m., six firefighters showed up to try their luck, along with 10 medical workers form the hospital who also brought along some oxygen for Xiao Huang. A bystander suggested that maybe they ought to try and use a crane.
Instead, the firefighters opted to try using an air cushion to slowly prop Xiao Huang up, but that strategy failed when they found that his legs had become numb from sitting on the sidewalk.
So instead, firefighters switched to Plan B. They obtained a thick and wide board, wrapped it up in a hospital bed sheet and rolled Xiao Huang on top. From there, about a dozen people helped to lift up Xiao and drop him on a hospital bed where he could rest. By that time it was past 1 p.m., the rescue had taken about two hours.
At 1:30 p.m., Xiao Huang finally left the hospital for home. Reporters spoke with his doctor who said that Xiao Huang's obesity is mostly caused by genetics. Because his tremendous weight makes it difficult to exercise, he has grown dangerously weak. The only hope for him is likely to be surgery.
http://shanghaiist.com/2017/02/14/220kg-man-rescue.php