A 23-stone mum lost more than half her body weight after being told she was too fat to ride in an emergency helicopter when her daughter was rushed to hospital.
Danielle Hutchinson said she had been overweight her entire adult life – weighing a mammoth 23 stone and measuring a size 26 in dress size.
The 32-year-old said her weight had seen her denied entry on roller coaster rides and she had also forced to request seat belt extenders on airplanes due to being morbidly obese.
However, it was a dramatic family emergency that prompted Mrs Hutchinson to make a drastic lifestyle change to slim down.
Her four-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, became unable to breathe during a serious asthma attack back in December 2022.
Danielle Hutchinson previously weighed in at a colossal 23-stone but lost more than half her body weight after being told she was too fat to ride in an emergency helicopter when her daughter was rushed to hospital
Mrs Hutchinson said her weight had previously caused problems such as being denied entry on roller coaster rides and having to request seat belt extenders on airplanes due to being morbidly obese. Pictured here with her husband Ryan and their two children Harrison and Nevaeh
But it was dramatic air ambulance rescue for little Nevaeh, and being told she was too fat to join her on the trip, that prompted Mrs Hutchinson to take control of her weight
Nevaeh’s condition was so serious medics decided to send out an air ambulance to fly her to a specialist hospital as quickly as possible.
But when the crew asked Mrs Hutchinson weight she was ‘heartbroken’ when told she would be unable to travel with her daughter as her mass would make the flight too dangerous.
Instead, the mum-of-two had to drive separately to the hospital instead.
Mrs Hutchinson, who lives in Norwich, Connecticut in the US, said this moment was her turning point to shed some pounds and began making extreme changes to her diet over the following weeks.
The child therapist used weight-loss injections for the first six months before relying solely on diet and exercise for the following year until she lost an incredible 200lbs.
Now weighing in at just 9 stone and wearing size four clothing, Mrs Hutchinson said she doesn’t recognise the person she used to be.
‘I’ve been overweight pretty much all my adult life. I never really put myself as a priority, I always put my kids as a priority,’ she said.
‘But when I couldn’t be with my daughter during her hour of need in the helicopter, I kind of had the realisation when I was driving that if I don’t start putting myself first, I can’t make my kids a priority either.
Recalling the incident she said: ‘They wanted her to get to hospital as fast as she could but didn’t have the machines they needed at our nearest, regular hospital so they needed her to fly to this specific hospital.
‘Before they arrived, they told me there was a weight restriction in the helicopter so they had me go on the scales and they told me the combination of my weight, the pilot and the medical personnel was too much and too dangerous.
‘It was really a shock. My husband had to stay with my son and my daughter had to go by herself in the helicopter. It was a real turning point. It was heartbreaking for me to watch her fly away on her own.’
Mrs Hutchinson said once Nevaeh was well enough altering her diet and lifestyle became her sole focus over the following few months.
‘I stayed with her at the hospital for the week and when we got home, I took everything out of the fridge and began researching healthier eating habits,’ she said.
‘I saw results pretty quickly. I began making little changes like every morning on the way to work I would usually grab breakfast but now I was making healthier breakfast at home.
The child therapist used weight-loss injections for the first six months before relying solely on diet and exercise for the following year until she lost an incredible 200lbs
She described one of the proudest moments of her weight-loss journey was ‘when one of my kids gave me a hug and her hands were able to touch each other behind my back’
‘I was cutting out soda from my diet, reducing portion size and upping my step count. I was trying to do one thing at a time. I set myself small, achievable goals so I could actually see progress.’
As well as losing hundreds of pounds over the following year, Mrs Hutchinson began seeing non-scale victories in her life too.
‘One of my most memorable ones was when one of my kids gave me a hug and her hands were able to touch each other behind my back,’ she said.
‘I used to wake up and think about food. It was so freeing to stop being as fixated on food.
However, her incredible weight loss has left her with around 10lbs of loose skin around her stomach which will cost $9,000 (£7,100) to remove via surgery
‘I wasn’t able to ride roller coasters at amusement parks, I needed a seat belt extender on airplanes, I wasn’t ever able to cross my legs and now I can. I’m still noticing things like this every day.
‘It’s hard to believe how far I’ve come. I still get shocked when I walk past a shop mirror.’
Mrs Hutchinson also began sharing her weight loss journey on TikTok, amassing a huge audience of 130,000 followers where she documents meal prep ideas and home workouts to motivate others.
However, her incredible weight loss has left her with around 10lbs of loose skin around her stomach which will cost $9,000 (£7,100) to remove via surgery.
‘I’m looking to get the loose skin removed on my abdomen. I’ve been denied three times by my insurance.
‘I’ve been prescribed medication for the rashes I’m getting because of it. It’s very uncomfortable and in the way when I exercise. And the way it looks isn’t appealing.
‘I’m hoping I can raise what I can to help pay for the surgery.’
Mrs Hutchinson has set up a fundraiser to get her this surgery here.
The NHS advises people wanting to lose weight to first measure their BMI to find out if they need to do so.
If they do need to shed some pounds, the health service tells says a combination of exercise and eating healthy meals packed with fruit and vegetables is the best way to go.
Slimmers should aim to lose 1 to 2lbs a week through increased activity and healthy swaps. the NHS says.
However, the health service urges people to stay away from crash diets and meal skipping as these can be unhealthy for you in the long run.
