My 600-lb Life season 7 featured Mercedes Cephas and her TLC weight-loss journey, but she disappeared from the spotlight after her time on the show. The reality TV series follows Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now) as he tries to get his morbidly obese patients to lose weight and improve their health. Sometimes, things go according to plan – when that happens, the patients see turnarounds on camera, and behind the scenes on My 600-lb Life. However, other cast members, including Mercedes, struggle to make progress.
Mercedes was a 37-year-old mother of two from Ohio. When she was on the show, she weighed 773 pounds and suffered from severe lymphedema. She had to rely on help from her extended family and kids. She was bedridden, so she couldn’t really take care of herself. On My 600-lb Life, Mercedes revealed that her food addiction was the byproduct of childhood trauma. She said she was sexually assaulted by her father. When she met Dr. Now, he informed her that her obesity might eventually damage her internal organs.
Mercedes Didn’t Lose Enough Weight On My 600-Lb Life
Mercedes Lied To Dr. Now
.
While Mercedes isn’t very active on social media after
My 600-lb Life
, it doesn’t seem like she has lost more weight.
Mercedes couldn’t complete the requirements that would allow her to qualify for bariatric surgery. She was often seen lying to Dr. Now – when she wasn’t fibbing, she was complaining about the strict regimen she had to follow to lose weight. She lost 81 pounds, so she failed to slim down enough to get approved for surgery. According to Republic World, Mercedes’ Facebook profile indicates she is back in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her profile also shows that she’s a stay-at-home mom.
Mercedes Started A GoFundMe After My 600-Lb Life
She Didn’t Raise Much Money
After My 600-lb Life, Mercedes started a GoFundMe campaign that has since shut down – it was listed under the “medical” category. She wanted to raise money to get gastric bypass surgery on her own. She fell short of her $10,000 goal after receiving only $175.
In January 2021, a rumor spread online that Mercedes had passed away. However, there was no proof that she’d died. Right now, what she’s up to is a bit of a mystery. She does have Facebook and Instagram profiles, but she doesn’t post frequently. Her last Facebook post was in July 2020, when she updated her profile picture.
Mercedes Cephas’ Journey Has Been So Stressful & Frightening
Her Addiction Took A Toll
Mercedes gets trashed on Reddit, like most My 600-lb Life stars do, but people haven’t walked a mile in her shoes. On a My 600-Lb Life: Where Are They Now? episode, the obstacles Mercedes faced were fairly extreme, as shown in the TLC at Facebook clip above. First, there was the super morbid obesity – because she was so heavy, just moving around was difficult. She was mobile but talked about being:
achy, in pain.
That was one layer of complication, but there were more. Another issue was her fear that she’d be put out of her home. Mercedes obviously had very little money or options at that time. Through the screen, it’s all too easy to feel her fear, anxiety and discomfort. She and her kids found a new place, but her sense of trepidation was still there.
For Mercedes, the world was an unfriendly place – a metaphorical minefield. One bright spot was her lovely kids. They smiled even when things got hard. They gave her love when she was at her lowest.
Sadly, Mercedes’ responsibilities were crushing, and her health was precarious. The mom and kids moved into a hotel because there wasn’t enough money for an apartment. Mercedes said, as per the clip above:
I just want to be stable. I won’t have to worry about getting put out or getting my stuff put out.
Unfortunately, she hit turbulence with her children. At one point, Mercedes said she was living for her kids. However, Where Are They Now? revealed that she went a full two years without speaking to them. That really tells a story. Apparently, after the show, Mercedes’ life was still packed with drama. Of course, some of this can be blamed on her bad decisions about her health. Mercedes is an addict – she’s hooked on food and that’s her problem. However, addiction is a disease.
At Reddit, a fan on a thread started by ShockedOldLady heard Mercedes say onscreen that she lived for her children, but begged to differ. The My 600-Lb Life viewer believed that Mercedes was living for herself alone. That shade may be too simplistic, but the Redditor said:
“I’m living for my kids. They need me.” No ma’am, you are living to stuff your mouth full of food and you are abusing those kids!!!
This verbal tirades at Reddit are cruel. There’s often a grain of truth, but nonetheless, there isn’t much compassion for a woman who was clearly living with mental health issues. In the clip above, she’s more or less in despair. She’s barely masking the hopelessness that’s dragging her down.
Yes, she’s trying, but her attempts to build a normal life for her children are exhausting her. Mercedes is world-weary, sick, and poor. “Fans” who take to Reddit to tear her apart are basically kicking someone when they’re down. Regardless, she’s perceived as a villain, just like Steven and Justin Assanti are.
Luckily, Mercedes appears to be alive in 2024. Some other alums of the famous (and often emotionally wrenching) series are gone. Kelly Mason has passed away, Sean Milliken has sadly died, and Henry Foots is no longer alive. While Mercedes’ life is anything but perfect, she’s still here and that means there’s still hope. She can keep trying to make her life better – she can attempt to fix her problems with her kids. What’s important is never giving up.
There Were Death Rumors About Mercedes
However, There’s No Proof She Passed Away
In a Reddit thread started by Briechick, some people wondered if Mercedes was still alive. It seems like her death would have made headlines. It was never confirmed by a news outlet, so it’s very likely that she’s alive. However, a lot of Redditors indicated that they wouldn’t be surprised if the sad news of her passing surfaced. They judged her for how she lived her life, not that they wanted her to die. They just thought she was damaging her health to the extent that she might pass away due to her health issues. One wrote:
I think she is probably dead. That’s the rumor.
An intensive search online showed the grave of one Mercedes W. Cephas, who might be Mercedes’ mother. However, the birth and death dates would make more sense for a parent or other relative of the My 600-lb Life star – that person was too old to be the Mercedes featured on the show. It could be a coincidence that the Mercedes whose grave is shown online bears a name that’s so similar to the reality star’s. However, it’s quite possible that the two women are related… may the elder Mercedes rest in peace.
Mercedes was considered more of a villain than anything else, but even the cruelest Redditors didn’t wish her dead. However, they called out her life choices, including a rift with her children. A lot of parents have trouble getting along with their children sometimes, but people don’t have much pity for Mercedes, as they felt that her weaknesses made her kids miserable.
The journey after My 600-lb Life is just as important as the cast members’ steps in the reality series. Weight loss, when achieved, must be maintained. Sometimes, it’s a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, deep-seated psychological problems make a lot of the shows alums vulnerable. They may backslide or become ill because of their weight. Hopefully, Mercedes is taking good care of herself in 2024.
Sources: Republic World, GoFundMe, ShockedOldLady/Reddit, Briechick/Instagram
