How come most of the gory stories of congenital malformations are usually from India? I recall putting up a story about an Indian kid who had his neck turned 360 degrees to the back. Well this story is about an Indian boy who Mohammad Kaleem who suffers from a rare form of localised gigantism which caused his hands and arms to keep on growing until they resembled a giant's hands on a child's body.
The young child was ridiculed in his remote Indian village as a 'devil child' and was even refused entry into school.Mohammad Shamim, Kaleem's father, said the school feared "his huge hands will scare other kids."
Kaleem grew up in Jharkhand State, one of India's most impoverished areas.
The family suffered the wrath of superstitious neighbours, who believed Kaleem's hands to be the result of a curse.
His parents earn less £15 a month and were unable to provide him with any form of treatment or even a diagnosis.But, his huge hands made it difficult for Kaleem to wear his own clothes, eat his food, or even take a bath.
Kaleem's parents had nearly given up on treatment and were leaving their son's plight to 'God's will'.
However, the young boy has been given new hope after a national surgeon offered him life-changing surgery and a painless life.
Following a sudden international publicity campaign surrounding Kaleem, Dr Raja Sabapathy - a pioneering hand surgeon who is known for his expertise in micro surgery, met with the family late last year.Haleema Begum, Kaleem's mother, said: "Dr Sabapathy gave us hope after seeing Kaleem. He was the first doctor who told us that some sort of remedy was possible to help our son."
Kaleem decided to ungergo an eight-hour surgery to 'debulk' his forearm and hand and will receive future surgery in the near future to prevent further growth. But villagers are remaining stubborn on accepting Kaleem.
CULLED FROM : DAILY EXPRESS
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