"We’d rather he were dead than suffering like this'', say parents of 12-year-old Indian boy whose head hangs at a 180-degree angle due to a rare condition

The desperate parents of a boy whose head hangs at a 180-degree angle have admitted they would rather he died than continue to suffer.

Mahendra Ahirwar, 12, from Madhya Pradesh in central India, suffers from a rare condition that makes his neck bend and his head hang from his body.

His weak backbone means he can't stand or walk and is restricted to a sitting position. Mahendra can just about crawl but needs help to eat and go to the toilet.


Undiagnosed: Mahendra Ahirwar's parents say they would rather see him dead than suffer the way he is now

His neck is bent and his head hands from his body

Mahendra's mother Sumitra Ahirwar, pictured here with her son, says watching his life is 'devastating'
His father Mukesh Ahirwar, 40, and mother Sumitra Ahirwar, 35, who both work as labourers when they can, say they have consulted more than 50 doctors across India but none could diagnose his condition.

‘I cannot see him suffer anymore,' said Sumitra. 'Watching his life is devastating.

'He cannot do anything by himself. He just sits in a corner of the room all day. It's no life.'
She added: 'I have to carry him like a baby everywhere but he is 12 years old, how will I carry him when he grows even older?'

‘If doctors cannot treat my son it is better that God takes him.’

Shockingly, members of the community have blamed Mahendra's condition on Mukesh's past sins and believe he is to blame for his son's disability.

Sumitra, who also has healthy 16 and 10-year-old sons and a 14-year-old daughter, did not visit a doctor when she was pregnant with Mahendra.