On Wednesday, the media reported that doctors have set a date for the world’s heaviest man to undergo gastric bypass surgery.

Patient Juan Pedro Franco was once weighed more than half a ton at 595 kilos. He has been on a three-month diet to prepare for the operation on May 9.

The resident of Aguascalientes in Mexico has to lose about 175 kilos at a special weight-loss clinic so as to make himself a suitable candidate for the operation.

Doctor Jose Antonio Castaneda Cruz said, “He has lost nearly 30 percent of his initial weight, so he is ready to undergo bariatric surgery.”

This 32-year-old man first appeared in headlines in November when he was admitted to the clinic after making the trip via a specially adapted van to the western city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. At that time Castaneda said Franco`s obesity and related conditions, including diabetes, had made the operation impossible.

Franco contacted the clinic after coming across one of their online ads. Before that, he had spent the past six years lying on the bed due to his massive weight.

In spite of his weight loss, it cannot be guaranteed that complications will not appear. Franco’s doctor is optimistic, saying they were “on the right path”.

The doctor said that the initial gastric bypass aims to reduce his current weight by 50%, after which a second operation will be needed.

Franco noted that there were other people trapped in their homes like him. “Some have passed away perhaps from sadness, or because they don’t dare (to) ask for help.” He urged those sufferings from obesity “to raise their voice and ask for help since it is possible”.