825 lb. Michigan Woman Denied Re-Entry into Her Apartment, Deemed a Fire Hazard

An overweight woman has been denied re-entry at her home because the apartment building's manager deemed her a fire hazard.

Juaunia Bates has since been told that management at Westchester Towers in Wayne is working to move her from an 8th floor apartment to a unit on the 1st floor. The 825 lb. woman spent days in the hospital battling lymphedema in her legs. Lymphedema is a condition where an accumulation of fluid builds up to cause swelling.

A Prisoner in Her Own Home

Bates tells Detroit's WJBK-TV that she has fought weight problems all her life. Several years ago, she witnessed her boyfriend's murder and has since gained 200 pounds. Her weight made her a prisoner in her 8th floor apartment, saying she hadn't been outside in about two years.

"A normal day is just laying in the bed, with nothing to do," she told FOX 2.

Bates' mother has been caring for her. Last month, her condition worsened and she had to be hospitalized.

She tells the TV station it took 15 firefighters to get her into the apartment building's elevator.

825 lb. Woman Denied Re-Entry to Her Apartment

After a stay at Corewell Health Wayne Hospital, the 33-year-old was set to be discharged Wednesday (8/7) night. That's when the apartment building's management said she was considered a fire hazard due to her limited mobility.

Since Bates' story first aired, she has been contacted by building management who say they are working to get her a first-floor apartment.

A personal trainer and physical therapists have reached out to help her, and Bates has a social worker.

She says she's also been contacted by a rehabilitation center in Ohio that has a bariatric unit.

Bates admits that she needs help and says she can't keep living like this.

"To walk again and go outside and just be able to not be a burden on my family anymore because I feel like I'm the biggest burden," Bates said. "It's only up from here."