An eight-year-old boy has left doctors baffled after his hands swelled to giant proportions
and now weigh more than two stone.
Young Kaleem, from India, is unable to carry out simple tasks, including tying his own shoe
laces, after he was born with hands twice the size of an average baby.
His mother Haleema, 27, said she knew he was different at birth but was powerless to help and
the youngster’s hands have now grown so large
they measure 13 inches from the base of his palm to the end of his middle finger.
Kaleem, from India, was born with hands twice the size of an average baby and they have
continued to grow
His hands now measure 13 inches from the base of his palm to the tip of his middle finger and weigh two stone The eight-year-old claims he is bullied because
of his giant hands and has difficulty performing simple tasks The cricket fan said he has been bullied and
shunned most of his life because others are ‘scared’ of his deformity.
He said: ‘I do not go to school because the
teacher says other kids are scared of my hands.
‘Many of them used to bully me for my deformity. They would say “let’s beat up the kid with the large hands”.
‘Some of them have actually beaten me and
would go after me often.
‘I find it difficult to put on my clothes, button
my shirt and pull up my pants.‘But I don’t
know if I want doctors to operate on my hands.
They would have to make me unconscious and
then they would cut me open.
‘I have no problem if they could do it without
an injection. A small operation would be okay.’
His parents, who earn just £15 a month, have been desperately trying to find help for their
son – but to no avail.
His mother Haleema, 27, (pictured with Kaleem and another one of her children) said she feels
‘powerless’ Kaleem, a keen cricketer, said the teachers at
his school have told him other children are ‘scared’ of his hands
He has found it difficulty to play cricket and hold a bat due to his condition but tries to still
join in with his friends
His mother, who has other children who do not
suffer from the same condition, said: ‘When
Kaleem was born his hand was twice the size of a normal baby’s.
‘His hands were big and his fingers were long.
Initially his fists were small but they began to
grow large as well and his fingers also kept
growing.’ His father, Shamim, 45, who works as a
labourer, is worried his son will never be independent and blames himself for not earning enough money.
‘He has difficulty feeding himself because his
fist does not bend properly – so we have to feed him,’ he said.
‘Using two fingers he is able to pick up some things like a glass of water to drink.
‘We want to take him to the hospital but there
have been times when money has been so low that my wife has been forced to go begging.
‘In that kind of financial situation, getting treatment for Kaleem was difficult.
‘Even when I tried to get Kaleem into the
school, the headmaster told me to put in writing that the school would not be
responsible if the other children were afraid of
his hands or bullied him or laughed at him.’
Doctors in India have been left baffled by his
growing hands and many are at a loss as to what the condition is
The youngster has difficulty eating, tying his
shoelaces and carrying out other basic tasks due to his hands
Kaleem’s father Shamim, 45, (pictured together
above) is worried his son will never become independent
The couple have only just been able to take
their son to a local doctor for an assessment
but their hopes of an instant cure have been dashed.
Dr Ratan, the director of the local hospital,
said: ‘As far as my knowledge goes, this is an extremely rare condition.
‘I have not seen a case in medical journals or
on the internet where only the hands grew to such a large size.
‘Until we have done proper genetic testing we
will not be able to say exactly what is causing
this deformity.’
He said that apart from the unsightly growths,
Kaleem is in good health – with properly
functioning lungs and heart.
Doctors have assessed Kaleem and have described his hands as a ‘rare condition’. He is
otherwise healthy
Kaleem was born with larger-than-average hands but they have continued to grow
throughout his childhood
But as his hands continue to grow it may put increased pressure on his cardiovascular
system, potentially shortening his life.
Elsewhere, Dr Krishan Chugh, head of paediatrics at the state-of-the-art Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon, near
Delhi, has also been left baffled after reviewing photographs and videos of the boy’s hands.
However, he believes Kaleem may be suffering from either lymphangioma or hamartoma – which are both treatable.
He added: ‘This condition looks very rare and I
have come across something like this before.
Without proper examination and medical tests I
am not 100 per cent sure about what this is.’
Kaleem’s parents are now hoping to raise
money for their son in the hope that his condition can be treated
One doctor said he believes the Kaleem may be suffering from either lymphangioma – a condition of the lymphatic system causing extreme inflamation – or hamartoma – a benign tumour – both of which are treatable
Lymphangioma is a condition of the lymphatic.system which causes extreme inflammation
resulting in doughy messes forming in certain parts of the body.
Hamartoma is a benign type of tumour where
the body produces excess tissue.
After hearing from the doctors, Kaleem’s parents now have renewed optimism that
something can be done for their son and are.doubling their efforts to raise money for him.
‘We have tried several places with no solutions so far,’ said Shamim.
‘But I have a feeling there is a way to get the.resources to give my son a normal life.’
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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