A morbidly obese Maltese man has had surgery to expand his stomach so more food can pass through his digestive system.
Manuel Cutajar, 39, from Attard, had surgery at Mater Dei Hospital yesterday to double the capacity of his belly from one gallon to two.
“I really love food, but I’d had the same stomach for three decades and it couldn’t handle my intake anymore,” Mr Cutajar said while eating his 10th breakfast pastizz.
The surgeon who carried out the gastric expansion procedure, Dr Robert Grixti, said was the operation was necessary to prevent Mr Cutajar’s death.
“If we didn’t perform the surgery, his stomach would have exploded within the next five years.”
Dr Grixti stressed that for every burger, pizza and cake that Mr Cutajar will shove down his newly widened oesophagus, he will also eat one piece of broccoli.
Before the operation, concerned friends of Mr Cutajar pointed that 549 hairs would need to be shaved as part of the procedure. However, Dr Grixti dismissed their worries in an emoji-filled Facebook post.
“Furthermore, anyone who says my patient could have gone on a diet or started exercising is talking out their arse. Which, incidentally, is also an operation I can perform,” he added.
