On TLC’s Dangerously Obese, Molly McKie documented her weight loss journey.
She earned two college degrees. She also had a young son, and wanted to be able to be there for him and engage with him.
As viewers saw at the end of her episode, she died only months after filming.
Molly was only 28 years old.
Molly McKie documented her weight loss journey on ‘Dangerously Obese’
On the Wednesday, November 12 episode of Dangerously Obese, TLC viewers witnessed a tragedy.
Molly McKie had documented her weight loss journey for the reality series.
As viewers witnessed, she was desperate to shed weight.
Molly weighed nearly 600 pounds, and had to lose a substantial amount in order to undergo bariatric surgery and lose more weight after that.
She dropped down to 535 pounds and was able to undergo the procedure. She would go on to drop another 200 pounds.
During this journey, Molly had the support of her husband, Sam McKie.
The two have a young son, Hudson.
A driving factor for Molly was her desire to be able to engage with Hudson and be part of his life.
Her weight had caused a lack of mobility. Even the most fit adults can struggle to keep up with an energetic small child throughout the day.
Molly “had been doing amazing,” Sam reported to viewers at the end of the episode. But the context of his update was tragic.
She died just days before receiving her second degree
Seven months after filming her core journey on Dangerously Obese, Molly McKie died suddenly.
“She was able to get on the floor with him and he loved every second of it,” Sam told the cameras of Molly being able to play with their son.
Gushing over her bond with Hudson, Sam added: “He was so excited that he got to play with his mommy.”
He told the cameras that Molly had hoped to use her college degree to help people. Tragically, she never got the chance.
“This show is a standing legacy for her to be able to help people,” Sam told the cameras, at times bordering on tears.
The Ashley reports that Molly died on December 14, 2022. She was only 28 years old at the time.
Her fatal cardiac arrest came only days before she was due to graduate with her second college degree.
Sam would go on to remarry in March of 2024.
Hudson is now six years old.
Molly’s passing is a devastating loss for all of her loved ones.
Was rapid, drastic weight loss a factor in her death?
Much of the coverage of Molly McKie’s passing has framed her death as happening despite her 200-pound weight loss.
However, we know that massive and rapid weight loss can be devastating for the body. Added weight puts a strain on the heart and blood vessels, but so does a massive change in overall size.
In Molly’s case, we do not know how long she might have lived without the weight loss and surgery.
Perhaps she might have died even earlier. Or perhaps she would still be around today.
All that we really know is that her passing is a tragedy, and her loved ones continue to miss her.