'My 600-Lb. Life' Star Coliesa McMillian Has Died At Age 39

Photo credit: TLC
Photo credit: TLC

From Women's Health

  • Coliesa McMillian, of the TLC show My 600-Lb Life, has died at age 39.

  • On the show, Coliesa called her heart a "ticking time bomb."

  • Her family says she died after experiencing complications after undergoing surgery.

Months after news broke that Coliesa McMillian was seriously ill, her family announced that the My 600-Lb Life star has died. Coliesa appeared on the show, which documents the lives of people who are overweight and obese, in March.

The announcement was made on a Facebook support page for Coliesa. “I cannot begin to express into words what our family is beginning to feel,” the statement reads. “Tonight, at 10:23 p.m. she sadly passed away from this life.”

In the comments, the organizers of the support page also said this: “Coliesa Kay Lee had health problems from her surgery and it just ended her life.”

TLC, the network that airs My 600-Lb Life also released a statement. "TLC is saddened to learn of the loss of Coliesa McMillian, who shared her story on My 600lb Life. Our deepest condolences to her family at this difficult time," the statement, which was posted on Twitter, said.

On the show, Coliesa shared that had experienced a heart attack in the past, and called her heart a “ticking time bomb.”

"I know I won't survive another heart attack unless I lose weight," she said on the show, noting that she was “exhausted” by her life. "Living like this is not living. If I don't lose this weight, I'm going to die,” she said. "My heart could give out at any time. I can feel the weight weighing me down. It's like my body's trying to give up.”

Coliesa’s niece Blair told UK newspaper The Sun in April that Coliesa struggled with complications from her surgery, including hemorrhaging. She was placed on a ventilator, was put in a medically-induced coma, and briefly flat-lined before she recovered.

In June, the Facebook support page for Coliesa said that she had come home from the hospital “after being on life support and almost dying.”

“Even though she has been on a long journey she has an even longer journey to go,” the post read. “She is a fighter. She is now confined to a bed 24/7. And is in a lot of pain. She can not do anything like she used to. But she is there. She needs us all to stand together and fight her fight for her.”

The post also said that Coliesa’s family needed, “mental and emotional support for her in this time. And for us.”

After reporting that Coliesa was “going to start physical therapy and better her life,” another post in August implied that Coliesa was hospitalized again. The next post announced her death.

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