Feeling trapped in her own body, the 35-year-old single mum piled on so much weight she had to rely on others for help — even for tasks like getting out of bed or going to the toilet.
Fearing every night might be her last, 35-year-old Jameka Mauldin struggled with severe swelling in her legs. No matter what diet or weight loss advice she tried, Jameka just could lose the pounds from her lower body.
Feeling trapped in her own body, the single mum piled on so much weight she had to rely on others for help with even the most basic of tasks, such asgetting out of bed or going to the toilet.
“Doctors told me to eat less and move more, but no matter what I did, my legs just kept growing,” Jameka said. “It wasn’t just fat. It felt different. It was heavy, tight, painful. I knew something was wrong.”
Her condition escalated until she reached a staggering 51 stone (325kg) — but Jameka, from Detroit, Michigan, in the US didn’t lose hope and fought back. She has since lost an incredible 25 stone (159kg). It comes after a man claimed ‘I lost 10st in a year without jabs, surgery or going to the gym’.
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Her turning point came in 2019 when she finally received the diagnosis about her health she desperately sought. Jameka was found to have lymphedema, a chronic condition which causes painful swelling (especially in the legs and arms) due to lymph fluid accumulation in the body’s soft tissues. To add to that, the mum had lipedema, a painful fat distribution disorder causing abnormal fat cell buildup, particularly in the legs, hips, and thighs.
“Getting a diagnosis changed everything,” Jameka says. “I cried. Not because I was scared, but because I finally had a name for what I’d been going through all these years. Now I’m finally free. And I’m not just doing this for me, I’m doing it for every woman who’s ever been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told to just ‘try harder’.”
Both conditions are progressive and incurable, and tragically, both are frequently overlooked or wrongly diagnosed, particularly in black women. “We’re told we’re just fat, or that we’re lazy. But this isn’t about willpower. This is medical.” Jameka explains.
Lymphedema develops when the body’s lymphatic system becomes damaged or obstructed, stopping fluid from draining correctly. This results in swelling, skin alterations, discomfort, infections such as cellulitis, and even serious mobility problems.
Lipedema, on the other hand, is a hereditary, hormonal disorder that triggers uneven fat accumulation in the lower body. It frequently deteriorates during hormonal shifts like puberty, pregnancy, or menopause, and cannot be corrected through diet or exercise.
“People need to know this isn’t their fault,” Jameka emphasises. “You can be doing everything right and still be gaining weight because your body is holding fluid and fat in ways you can’t control.”
When Jameka reached her heaviest weight, her legs had become so enlarged she could no longer walk without assistance. “I needed help with everything, bathing, dressing, even going to the bathroom. I felt helpless. I felt humiliated,” she recalls.
Jameka, who has been a caregiver and nursing assistant since 2010, was forced to take a full year off for surgeries and recovery when she was faced with this major health setback. During the most intense recovery period in this already challenging time, the single mum encountered further difficulties.
She recounts spending a month in a nursing home following surgery, where she battled infections that nearly derailed her progress. Jameka shares: “I developed infections that nearly set me back completely. It was one of the hardest times in my life.”
Her condition deteriorated to the point where she had to be admitted to a care facility, as she could no longer cope with daily life at home. “I became a resident in a nursing home. That was my rock bottom.”
However, Jameka refused to surrender and give up in the face of despair. She made a vow to herself: if walking wasn’t possible, she’d crawl; if doing everything at once was too much, she’d at least do something.
“Every day I told myself, ‘Just one thing, Jameka. Just do one thing today’.”
This mantra helped her take small steps that gradually led to significant weight loss and a better quality of life for herself. Jameka has now shed over half her body weight thanks to lifestyle adjustments, physical therapy, and targeted liposuction surgeries to remove damaged lymphatic tissue from her legs.
She’s triumphantly returned to work, not as a patient, but as a Certified Nursing Assistant. “I went from being cared for to caring for others. That’s the full-circle moment that keeps me going.”
Throughout her journey, her daughter Jamya, now 15, has been her steadfast support. Jameka credits her teenage daughter as her motivation to persevere. “She’s my reason. Every time I wanted to quit, I thought of her,” she reflects.
Jameka says: “I still have loose skin. I still have bad days. But now I love the woman in the mirror. Because I know what she’s been through. Stop waiting for someone to clap for you. Clap for your damn self.”
She has become a vocal supporter for raising awareness about lymphedema and lipedema, particularly within marginalised groups. “We need more education. More compassion. More doctors who know what they’re talking about. Too many of us are suffering in silence,” she advocates.
Now, armed with an impressive Instagram following of over 102k under the handle @meekmeek2u_, Jameka aspires to author a book detailing her tough but triumphant battle against her diagnoses and aims to take the stage to spread knowledge on these often-overlooked conditions.
“This isn’t just a weight loss story,” Jameka says. “This is a survival story. A comeback story. And it’s only just beginning.” To those grappling with discomfort, swelling, or stigma, Jameka affirms: “You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re not alone. Keep going.”