In 2008, Malissa Jones tipped the scales at 34st and was dubbed Britain’s fattest teen. That same year, at 17, she became the youngest person in the UK to have a gastric bypass.
Malissa lost 22st in 14 months, but the operation sparked a series of problems.
After the surgery, she was so scared of putting on weight she developed anorexia. And she’s tragically lost two babies as a result of complications caused by the bypass.Malissa, now 23 – who currently weighs 9 st – has now been told she’ll need IVF to become a mum. But she and her husband Chris Rowbottom, 23, don’t qualify for NHS funding as they’ve already had a baby – even though their son Harry died just an hour after he was born.
Malissa – who plans to pay for the £4k fertility treatment by saving up her sickness benefits – says: “I’m devastated. I’ve always wanted to be a mum, but it’ll take years to save for IVF. If I’d known the bypass would affect my fertility, I wouldn’t have had it.”
Malissa’s weight problems started when she was a child. She was placed on low-calorie diets by her doctor, but she couldn’t stick to them. By the time she turned 15 she was 20st.
She says: “I was disgusted with myself, but it was a vicious circle and I’d comfort eat chocolate and takeaways.”
Malissa’s weight continued to soar and by the time she was 17 she’d reached a staggering 34st with a BMI of 72.4, nearly three times the upper healthy limit.
When dieting, pills and counselling failed, 5ft 8 Malissa had a £10k NHS gastric bypass, during which part of her stomach was removed to make it smaller.
She lost 22st in 14 months and her weight dropped to 12st.
In June 2010, she met Chris, 23, and four months later was thrilled to discover she was pregnant.
But as her baby bump grew, she hated the changes to her figure and began restricting her calories. She says: “I only ate cereal or veg. I knew I could harm the baby, but I was scared of getting big again.”
Malissa – who married Chris in August last year – continued to lose weight and at six months pregnant and weighing 10st – 2st stone less than when she got pregnant – she was diagnosed with septicaemia, which was a result of a weak immune system, brought on by not eating properly after her bypass.
Doctors were forced to perform an emergency C-section, but her baby, Harry, tragically died an hour after she gave birth.
Malissa spiralled into despair after Harry’s death and existed on tiny portions of veg. Her weight plummeted to 5st and she was diagnosed with anorexia.
But with Chris’ help, she gradually began eating healthily again and, within a year, rose to 9st. Malissa says: “Chris told me I needed to build up my strength so I could try for a baby again.”
In June 2012 she discovered she was pregnant, but sadly miscarried at nine weeks for unknown reasons.
Since then, Malissa has been trying to get pregnant, but infections linked to the bypass have damaged her fallopian tubes, meaning she’d need IVF. She says: “Doctors told me I have so much internal scarring from the bypass that my chances of conceiving are low.”
But Malissa refuses to give up her dream of motherhood. She adds: “I just wish I’d lost weight in a healthy way and I wouldn’t be going through this heartache.”