A 23-year-old man has spent his life ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ inside the boy of an 11-pound baby ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ to walk or talk.
Manpreet Singh was born in 1995 but at the age of just one, and weighing only 11lbs, he sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ. His neighbours refer as the ‘ᴘɪɴᴛ-sɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴍᴀɴ’ and he needs 24-hour care much like a toddler. ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs told his father Jagtar Singh, 50, that he would start growing again. But that ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ happened and ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs have been left ʙᴀFFʟᴇᴅ as to the reason why as his brother Mangaldeep and sister Jaspreet have both ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ and ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ. ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs believe the growth ᴅᴇFᴇᴄᴛ is due to a ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴇFɪᴄɪᴇɴᴄʏ but are unable to identify exactly what without an expensive ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
MK Bhadu, a ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ officer at a state run facility at Hisar, said: “The patient’s growth sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ due to some ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴀʟ ɪᴍʙᴀʟᴀɴᴄᴇ. A child begins to ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟʟʏ and ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ from the age of three. If his ʙᴏᴅʏ is not ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘɪɴɢ, the parents should take him to a better ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Fᴀᴄɪʟɪᴛʏ and get him ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ.” Scientists, however, believe Manpreet could have Lᴀʀᴏɴ Sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, a ʀᴀʀᴇ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ that is believed to have ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ just 300 people ᴀᴄʀᴏss the globe. He has sᴡᴏʟʟᴇɴ ᴘᴀʟᴍs, feet and a ʙɪɢ face with sᴀɢɢʏ sᴋɪɴ. He primarily communicates through ɢᴇsᴛᴜʀᴇs and can laugh, sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ and cry. His uncle Karanvir Singh said: ” Manpreet giggles like a toddler and seldom gets sad. It’s only when the dogs or any other animal makes a sound, he gets ᴛᴇʀʀɪFɪᴇᴅ and ᴄʀɪᴇs. He is a delightful child and ɢᴇsᴛᴜʀᴇs the guests with his hands to sit, and tries to befriend them.”
Manpreet has been cared for by his relatives throughout most of his life, who shower him with love and affection, and ʀᴇFᴜsᴇs to stay with his parents who live 112km away. Lakhwinder added: ” We have sent him back to his parents several times, but he won’t stay with them. Manpreet would sᴛᴏᴘ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ and keep crying all the time there. But when he is sent back to us again, he would ᴛᴜʀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ the same bubbly and joyful kid. We love this little bundle of joy so much that the idea of letting him go makes my ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sɪɴᴋ.”
Wᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ about his future, the family has been consulting a number of ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs who has said a ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ of his ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ is needed before they are able to give a ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs. The cost of the ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and ᴘʀᴇʟɪᴍɪɴᴀʀʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ would be around 500,000 rupees – just under £5,400. A crowd-funding campaign has been started on Ketto, India’s version of GoFundMe, to ʀᴀɪsᴇ funds for his ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.
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