450 kg South African finally hospitalised after 10 rejections

Johannesburg, July 2 (IANS/EFE) A South African man weighing 450 kg was admitted to the hospital for specialised treatment after being turned away by 10 clinics for his extreme obesity, a media report said on Thursday.

With a system of sheets and ropes, relatives and neighbours helped move the 60-year-old Corrie Le Grange from his home in Edenvale, east of Johannesburg, into a van parked outside his front door.

He was later transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg where he would be treated for ascites, a disease that causes fluid buildup around vital organs and causes huge weight gain.

Several hospitals in the area previously refused to admit the patient for not having the necessary equipment to treat such a heavy patient.

Health department spokesman Steve Mabona confirmed to Eyewitness News station that the patient entered the hospital and would receive treatment.

Le Grange's family also transported his custom-made bed from his home to the hospital on a trailer to ensure that the doctors would not refuse him.

Shammy Rademeyer, Corrie's distresed girlfriend, said she hoped doctors could help drain the lethal fluids, as he would die if nobody helped him.

--IANS/EFE

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