Dottie’s story in My 600-lb Life has always been one of the most emotionally jarring tales ever featured in the hit reality TV show. With a son suffering from cerebral palsy, a tendency to go overboard with taking care of her children, and a notable degree of stubbornness, it initially appeared that Dottie’s weight loss journey would be ridden with difficulties. As shown in the recently aired Where Are They Now episode, Dottie’s recovery from her morbid obesity indeed proved to be a steep uphill climb.

Dottie’s weight loss problems started way back in her childhood, as she developed intense abandonment issues after being neglected by her mother. When her first son, Daniel, was born and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she continued to neglect herself, ultimately leading to her gaining so much weight that she weighed north of 600 pounds, according to a TV Ruckus report. While she continued to get support from her current husband, Chris, and her second son, Landon, Dottie still proved to be quite unstable, at least emotionally.

One thing that has stuck with viewers and avid fans of the acclaimed TLC series was just how stubborn and uncooperative Dottie was during her initial episode. To the dismay of most viewers and avid fans of the hit reality TV show, Dottie insisted on disregarding Dr. Now’s diet plan, insisting on one that she made for herself. Unsurprisingly, her self-made diet program proved ineffective, forcing Dr. Now to confine her to the hospital in order to limit her food intake, according to a TV Ruckus report. Daniel’s subsequent hospitalization, however, forced Dottie to devote all her time to her son once more.

In the recent My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now episode, it was revealed that not long after she was first featured on the hit reality TV show, Daniel passed away. Dottie’s son, who had battled severe cerebral palsy for years, finally succumbed to his condition just months after her first featured episode aired. Being a dedicated mother, Daniel’s loss proved to be a massive roadblock for Dottie, who became at risk of regressing back to her unhealthy eating habits once more. In a rare interview with the Oxford Eagle last year, Dottie described the loss of her son as something that she finds too painful to even talk about.

Due to the tragic loss of Daniel, many fans and viewers of My 600-lb Life initially speculated that the dedicated mother might not go back for her Where Are They Now follow-up episode this 2017 anymore. As proven by the recently aired episode, however, Dottie proved to be resilient and dedicated enough to pursue her recovery despite the loss of one of the people she loved the most.

Needless to say, many viewers and avid fans of the hit reality TV show aired their admiration and respect to the recovering mother, stating that it must have taken much courage to come back to the show and open up about one of the most difficult points in her life. In online forums such as Reddit, numerous fans of the show stated that the recently aired episode was quite difficult to watch, with others stating that they shed tears as they watched what Dottie had to deal with over the past year.

While numerous fans of the show were rather annoyed at the way Dottie handled her situation when she was first featured on the show, viewers had nothing but praise for her in the recently aired Where Are They Now episode. After all, for a mother who lives for her children, the loss of a child is arguably the most devastating incident that can happen. Despite this, however, Dottie has still hung on, and while her progress might not be as drastic as other subjects that were featured on the hit reality TV show, the heart that she displayed as she returned for her follow-up episode is enough to gain the acclaim of the My 600-lb Life community.

[Featured Image by TLC]