At 621 lbs., Janine Mueller knows she needs to fly to Houston for life-saving weight loss surgery, but boarding the plane at all is a major struggle.
The Seattle-based Mueller has damaged knees from her weight, and is mostly confined to getting around on a motorized scooter, which is making her nervous about her trip to the airport, even with an aide.
“I know my body’s not going to handle everything I’m putting it through today, but I have to do this,” Mueller says in this exclusive clip from Wednesday’s episode of My 600-Lb. Life. “I’ve tried so many things to get my weight under control, and every single thing has failed. So I know that this is quite literally my last chance to get the help I need to turn my life around. So I can’t fail at this. But right now, I’m so nervous.”
Mueller rarely goes outside anymore because of how people look at her, and she knows the stares are going to be even worse at a crowded airport.
“I know it’s going to be like a freak show, and everyone’s going to stare and point at the large woman who can’t walk for herself,” she says. “It’s one of the reasons why I hardly go out anywhere, because I hate when people stare. It’s humiliating, and I’m scared out of my mind right now.”
Mueller is able to go for early boarding on the plane, but as she gets to the door and steps off her scooter, she starts to panic.
“I can’t do this I can’t do this I can’t do this,” she says, crying.
My 600-Lb. Life airs Wednesday at 8/7c on TLC.