text: An 800lb woman, whose weight spiraled out of control after she was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend and held hostage, finally stood up for the first time after years of being bound to her bed and taken care of by her three daughters. When viewers first met Marla McCants, from Nashville, Tennessee, on last night's season finale of My 600lb Life, doctors determined that she was only months - maybe even weeks - from dying. And even after a lengthy hospital stay and gastric bypass surgery, the 43-year-old still refused to let medical professionals help her stand up – and, in doing so, save her life. Marla's recovery seemed like a hopeless cause until it dawned on the mother-of-three that this was her last shot. If she didn't get up, she would spend the rest of her very short life bedridden. Scroll down for video . Life changing: Marla McCants, who weighed 800lbs, can be seen standing for the first time in years on the season finale of My 600lb Life . Catching her breath: The 43-year-old took a moment to rest after getting herself out of bed . Marla and her daughter Sierra moved to Houston, Texas, so she could she could work with weight loss expert Dr Younan Nowzaradan, but following her surgery and a lengthy stay in the hospital, she was discharged because of her lack of cooperation. The surgeon had all but given up on Marla until he received an impassioned call from Sierra, begging him to come to her apartment and convince her mom to get up once and for all. Dr Nowzaradan made the house call and requested emergency medical technicians come to the apartment to help Marla stand for the first time in years. With the help of a walker, the EMTs and Dr Nowzaradan's support, Marla was able to stand for a few seconds. And, although brief, this short moment gave her enough confidence to try and stand again, essentially changing the direction of her recovery for the better. Stuck: The mother-of-three relied on her daughters to take care of her. She can be seen rolling over, so her daughter Adele could bathe her while she laid in bed . Last stand: Adele tearfully explained she feared her mother would die if she didn't get help . Before she moved to Houston, Marla depended on her three daughters, Britney, Adele and Sierra, for everything. 'I have no life,' she told the cameras. 'My legs can't even hold my weight anymore.' Her children had no choice but to clean her and take care of her. ‘I'm 24 and I have to take care of my mom. I wipe her, bathe her, make sure she's clean. And I do get tired,' Adele explained with frustration. Marla noted that 'it's embarrassing', but added she has no other choice because of her mother’s massive size. Because of her morbid obesity, Marla suffered from arthritis, gout, swelling in her joints and diabetes, in addition to being bed ridden and in constant pain. Junk food addict: Marla can be seen looking at the junk food Adele had brought for her to eat . Making dinner: Marla, who was unable to get out of bed, had a table brought to her so she could fry some chicken . She explained that she never had problems with her weight when she was a child, but her eating got out of control after she tried to break up with her boyfriend who 'lost it' and proceeded to kidnap her, hold her at gunpoint and even shot two officers who tried to rescue her before she escaped. After the ordeal, Marla refused to leave her house because she was living in constant fear that he would find her and kill her. She soon turned to food for comfort, and by the time her ex-boyfriend was caught, it was too late. She already weighed 700lbs. 'The kidnapping changed my life forever, and I wish I could take that day back,' she said. But allowing herself to indulge in endless bad eating habits for years, Marla admitted that she was terrified that her daughters were going to find her dead in bed one day, so she made the decision to travel to Houston to seek Dr Nowzaradan’s help. Bad choices: She can be see frying the chicken in boiling vegetable oil at her bedside . Extra calories: After making her meal, Marla covered her fried chicken tenders in French dressing before eating them . Emotional eating: Marla explained that she turned to food for comfort after her ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and held her hostage when she was in her early 20s . Because she was unable to get out of bed, she had to call an ambulance to transport her to her daughter's car where she sat for the entire 13 hour drive. And the trip almost killed her. A blood clot that had formed in her leg after years of not moving dislodged during the trip and traveled to her lung. By the time she got to the hospital in Houston, her health was rapidly declining. 'She is in the worst condition health wise that I have ever seen,' Dr Nowzaradan said, noting that she should have never traveled to Houston at her size. In pain: Marla was filled with pain after a blood clot dislodged in her leg and traveled to her lung during her trip to Houston, Texas to see Dr Nowzaradan . Heavy lifting: A group of hospital members worked together to life Marla into bed . 'I am not [as] worried about weight loss surgery as [I am about] making sure she will survive the next 24 hours,' he said. 'This is [a] very dangerous situation. She is at the end of her life if we can't do anything.' After Dr Nowzaradan put a filter in her leg to prevent any more blood clots from forming, Marla recovered and was put on a 1,000-calories-per-day diet while she was living in the hospital. In an attempt to make painfully clear to Marla the extent of her condition, the doctor explained that when she was living in Nashville she was 'months or even weeks from death'. But despite the danger of developing another blood clot, Marla refused to try and stand or move her legs. Sierra, who gave up her life to move with her mom to Houston, scolded her for sending her physical therapists away, but Marla maintained that everyone was pushing her too hard. Preventative measures: Dr Nowzaradan can be seen putting a filter in Marla's leg to prevent more blood clots from forming and traveling to her lungs . Second chance: As a last resort, he would later perform gastric bypass surgery on Marla in the hope of saving her life . 'You need to work on your attitude,' Sierra told her with frustration. Dr Nowzaradan explained that 'Marla has convinced herself that she cannot walk, but the reality is that she doesn't want to walk'. When Marla was pressured to try and stand, she started screaming in pain and begged to be pushed back on the bed. ‘If Marla won't get up, we can't treat her,' Dr Nowzaradan said. 'This is a life or death situation. She is going to die.' Despite her massive size, Dr Nowzaradan opted to perform weight loss surgery a few months later because there was no other way to help her. New foods: Marla can be seen eating healthier options while she maintained a 1,000-calories-per-day diet during her hospital stay . Doctors orders: Marla's daughter Sierra grew frustrated with her because she refused to try and get up . Not confident: Marla continued to make excuses for why she was unable to attempt to get out of bed . Following the gastric bypass, Marla was once again at risk of developing blood clots, but she continued to rely on a physical therapist to move her legs for her. A frustrated Dr Nowzaradan yelled at her for giving the hospital staff and her daughter 'attitude' when they were trying to help her. Without her cooperation, he had no choice but to discharge her from the hospital. Because she was still unable to fend for herself, Marla decided to move in with Sierra in Houston, but insisted that she didn’t need the help of her doctors in order to get better. 'I can make healthy choices on my own,' she said. 'I can do this better.' But Marla still wasn’t making any progress, especially when it came to working her muscles. 'You've been sitting here for eight weeks!' Sierra yelled at her mom before making a desperate call to Dr Nowzaradan. Major victory: Marla can be seen standing on the scale for the first time in five years . All smiles: Marla was happy to learn that lost an estimated 266lbs since she started her journey a year ago . It was his visit and support that changed Marla's life. 'Getting up and standing was one of the most encouraging things I've done and now I don't want to stop,' Marla told the cameras after she lifted herself out of bed for the first time in years. A year after she started her journey, Marla was able to stand on a scale for the first time in five years, clocking in at 534lbs. Her estimated weight loss was 266lbs, and Marla noted that she was 'so proud' of herself. 'It took me a while to get here, but now nothing is going to stop me,' she said.
target: Marla McCants, from Nashville, Tennessee, began rapidly gaining weight after her ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and held her hostage .
  The 43-year-old travelled to Houston, Texas, to meet with weight loss expert Dr Younan Nowzaradan, but faced death after a blood clot moved to her lungs .
  The mother-of-three underwent gastric bypass surgery, but refused to get out of bed for weeks after the procedure .