Shut-Ins

Claire has been bed bound for the last 6 years. Trapped by her 40 stone body she can only see the world through the window of the room where she spends her life. She has two daughters -Tracey and Jasmine - who need to do nearly everything for her. Tracey has two young children and a home of her own so the burden of care falls mainly on 19 year old Jasmine. She has spent all her teenage years looking after the mother she’s devoted to. We track their journey as Nick Carter – a surgeon at the local hospital – battles to get Clare the help she needs. He sees that it isn’t just Claire who is shut in – but also her daughters – their own emotional distress means they too are gaining an unhealthy amount of weight. Nick wants to put Claire through two surgeries – one to drastically reduce the size of her stomach – the other to remove the rolls of excess flesh that hang from her stomach that will hamper her ability to ever walk properly or be able to exercise. Claire’s vulnerabilities have left her clinging to her daughters. Her daughters seek their freedom but are anxious about letting go. A family therapist is brought in to try to shift the dynamics in the way the family operate. An unexpected diagnosis during the first surgery threatens to put all their plans at risk and could leave Claire more dependent on her daughters than ever.

Andrew is married to Sharon – four years ago she weighed 48 stone and was shut in herself but after two radical stomach surgeries she managed to get her weight down to 30 stone and started to have a life again. In a bizarre reversal of fortunes it is now Andrew who needs help – his weight has ballooned to 36 stone. He’s been forced to give up his job as he is in too much pain to leave the house. Even personal care is a daily struggle. We start tracking their journey when Sharon and Andrew are at their lowest ebb – Andrew feels like his life has come to a halt. Sharon is feeling that she is being dragged backwards and will become a shut-in again herself. Their relationship is in tatters and Sharon’s dream of having a child seem further away than ever. Desperate for help Andrew turns to Professor Kerrigan – the surgeon who helped Sharon to lose 18 stone. He recommends a new and experimental surgery to help him regain his life. To qualify for this powerful surgery Andrew will have to prove that he can stick to the high protein diet that he will have to eat for the rest of his life. With the help of this leading surgical team and a specialist psychologist Andrew starts to battle his demons to try to turn his life around. The next six months will be an uphill struggle - can Andrew do enough to save his life and his marriage?

Emily is a single mum with two small children. She is 24 years old but already weighs 26 stone. She’s struggled with her weight all her life but since the age of seventeen she has become almost unrecognisable. She has completely lost control of her appetite and binges on large breakfasts, takeaways and snacks. Shame and fear of ridicule keep her largely confined to her house. We catch up with her as she battles against the emotional demons that are driving her to comfort eat. She knows what she is doing to herself but feels powerless to stop. Her relationship is in tatters and her parents are at their wits end. They have tried to help her over the years using both carrots and sticks - but nothing has worked and they’ve watched helplessly as she has continued to pile on the pounds. Emily describes herself as the black sheep of the family – her brothers, sister and father are fitness fanatics. She finds it hard to get up the stairs without panting, has to sit down to fold the washing and is increasingly struggling to keep up with her boisterous sons. As her weight spirals ever higher, she is fearful for her life - convinced that one day she may never wake up. She puts herself in the hands of a top bariatric surgeon – Mr Sherif Awad – who helps to guide her through the gruelling process of preparing for surgery. She also seeks the services of a behavioural psychologist in a bid to understand what is driving her compulsive behaviour. Emily is young enough to turn her life around – and has the support of a loving family. But will she find the inner strength she needs to help herself?