Obese mum Kirsten Perez is not only fighting for her life on TLC’s My 600-lb Life, but also to salvage any semblance of a real relationship with her troubled teenage son Neiko.
Young Neiko is rebelling, moving back to their home state of Washington after struggling to cope while staying with her in Houston.
Neiko says: “I don’t feel like my mom is able to be a mom to me. It’s more like a sibling. We fight back and forth, back and forth all day.”
Watch the footage below which shows Kirsten crying as he leaves. She says: “Part of me is sad that he’s leaving but part of me is relieved too.”
Kirstin, 38, has battled addiction issues her entire life, stemming from an unstable childhood which led to her running away from her parents’ home in Longview, WA.
She then got into drugs and hardcore partying, and the crowd she hung out with and situations she found herself in led to two pregnancies after some harrowing occurrences.
However, after giving birth the lure of addiction prompted her to leave her children with her parents as she returned to the party lifestyle.
This no-win trajectory fueled rapid weight-gain as Kirsten got heavier and heavier, to the tune of 600lbs.
Everyone who succumbs to addiction has a “bottom”, and she hit it eventually. Now, she is motivated and wants to lose weight and regain a sense of control.
She moved to Houston in the hope of undergoing weight-loss surgery. But will it cure the addiction demons that have circumvented Kirsten’s life?
Not an easy answer, as Neiko is so angry with her he may never forgive the way she relinquished any maternal duties to raise him…
My 600-lb Life airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on TLC.