Firefighters rescuing the 468 kg Kenneth Brumley compared the stench from his house to a huge baby diaper. Brumley had gone four years without having a bath. He’d grown so big that he couldn’t stand or fit through the doors of his house – firefighters had to break down a wall to get him out.
The Renaissance Hospital in Houston, Texas, accepted the unenviable yet noble task of rehabilitating Kenneth Brumley to a healthy weight. Their efforts aired on Half-Ton Dad, which re-appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Network in June 2021. This piece will look at where Kenneth Brumley is now.
Kenneth Brumley has adopted a secretive life, and it’s unclear whether he kept off the weight
After spending a year at the Renaissance hospital, Kenneth reached a safe weight for gastric bypass surgery. He had to prove that he could move around freely for the specialist to accept to perform the surgery.
The father of four lost an impressive amount of weight, but we can’t confirm whether he kept it off: Brumley adopted a secretive lifestyle following his stint on reality television.
Kenneth returned home to find his daughter trying to convince his granddaughter to have a burger. The scene demonstrated America’s fascination with fast food and showed that Kenneth would need strict discipline to keep the weight off.
The 30,000 calories he consumed a day were enough to feed an average human for a day. Let’s hope he didn’t resume his life-threatening diet.
Some netizens believe that Kenneth Brumley passed away. It’s unlikely that Kenneth is dead, as it would make sense for OWN to re-air Half-Ton Dad if Kenneth was dead.
A Kenneth Brumley opened a Twitter account in August 2021. The profile photo resembles Kenneth, but it’s unclear whether it’s Kenneth Brumley from Half-Ton Dad.
Brumley lost 76 kg in six weeks by reducing his calorie intake to 1200 per day
Firefighters found Brumley resting on the floor when they came to take him to hospital: His reinforced bed couldn’t handle his weight.
The hospital required Brumley to stay clean, which he couldn’t do by himself. It became the medical staff’s responsibility to keep an unmovable person clean. The job involved keeping his wounds free of urine and excrement. Gastric surgery specialist Dr. Lipsen told TV Scoop:
“When we see patients like this come in, we just have to do what we can do. Can you imagine these people? The physical therapists, the nurses, and can you imagine having to clean him? Every single day, keep him spruced up, keep his bed clean. Keep his excrement and urine off of his wounds. It’s a major, major dedication.”
The first part of Brumley’s weight loss involved a diet change. Doctors restricted him to 1,200 calories a day, cutting his weight by 76 kg in six weeks.
Then, doctors surgically removed fatty deposits in his legs and abdomen, further reducing his weight by 95 kilograms. The surgery allowed Brumley’s legs to come together – something he hadn’t achieved in four years.
Three months later into his hospitalization, Kenneth attempted to stand without support. After losing 222 kilograms and weighing 241 kilograms, the chief gastric surgeon approved Brumley’s gastric bypass surgery.