Off The Record

She Was Named The World’s Biggest Child When She Was 8 Years Old, But Wait Till You See Her Today

Published on March 16, 2024

Many Americans find it hard to stick to good eating habits. As a matter of fact, the CDC said in 2014 that up to 36.5% of people were obese and that 17% of kids between the ages of 2 and 19 also had weight problems.

One of those kids was Jessica Leonard. When she was eight years old and weighed 420 pounds, she was named the biggest child in the world.

Jessica’s weight started to hurt her body because she ate and snacked too much. She couldn’t go to school because her legs weren’t strong enough… To get anywhere in her house, she had to finally roll around on the floor.

She Was Named The World's Biggest Child When She Was 8 Years Old, But Wait Till You See Her Today

Still, Jessica’s mom Carolyn Leonard made sure that their Knoxville, Tennessee, fridge and cupboard were always full of the food that Jessica begged to eat.

Cindy told Inside Edition, “She wanted to eat about every two hours.”

Until the girl started having trouble breathing.

Child protection services finally took notice when she was rushed to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in very bad shape.

They told Jessica to be sent to a Virginia center for overweight people.

Carolyn was also told to take parenting classes so that she could keep up any growth her daughter might make at the clinic. She could then help Jessica stay on track when she got home from the hospital.

Jessica was able to lose 320 pounds during her time at the clinic by following a strict diet and exercise plan. She didn’t even need surgery!

Jessica could finally go to school after she got back home. She has to go to physical therapy five times a week, and Carolyn carefully watches what she eats.