Bullied by his peers and called ‘cursed’ by neighbours, the youngster has suffered for his condition – but that could be about to change
Mohammad Kaleem suffers from a form of local Gigantism, which has made his hands weigh more than 5 and a half pounds each. in July, 2014, in Jharkhand State, Eastern India.
A little boy who suffers from a bizarre condition which makes his hands oversized has had a life-changing operation to reduce them.
Mohammad Kaleem became known as the ‘Boy with the World’s Biggest Hands’ before he underwent dramatic surgery to reduce them.
The eight-year-old was born with a condition which caused his hands and arms to keep on growing until they looked like giant’s hands, and weighed a colossal two stone between them.
The poor boy’s parents, who earn less than £15 a month, could not afford to pay for doctors, but managed to take Kaleem to a local village hospital which was not able to diagnose him.
Mohammad Kaleem’s condition, called Macrodactyly (or local gigantism), has caused his hands to grow to a length of 13 inches from wrist to fingertips, in November 2014, India
Terrible trauma: The Macrodactyly condition caused his hands to grow to a length of 13 inches from wrist to fingertips ( Image: Barcroft)
Living in one of India’s most impoverished parts, Kaleem’s huge hands, which Macrodactyly, or local gigantism, has caused to grow to a length of 33cm from wrist to fingertips, led superstitious villagers to believe he was cursed.
The boy, who was featured on The Boy With the World’s Biggest Hands on Channel 5 on Tuesday, was bullied, called a ‘devil’s child’ and even refused admission to school.
Dr Sabapathy in the operating theatre, hoping to not only decrease the size of Mohammad Kaleem’s hands, but also return him to some semblance of a normal and practical life in his village, in November 2014.
Help at hand: Dr Sabapathy in the operating theatre hoping to decrease the size of Mohammad Kaleem’s hands ( Image: Barcroft)
“The school teachers said they could not take Kaleem. They said his huge hands will scare other kids. So he was denied admission,” said Mohammad Shamim, Kaleem’s father.
As Kaleem grew older, it was becoming harder for him to complete the simplest of daily chores. His huge hands, weighing more than five and a half pounds each, made it difficult for his to wear his own clothes, eat his food, or even take a bath.
Mohammad Kaleem is placed under anesthetic during his first round of surgery at Coimbatore Hospital, where doctors begin to de-bulk his arms and hands, in November 2014, India
Young patient: Kaleem was placed under anesthetic during his first round of surgery ( Image: Barcroft)
But now after international publicity about his case, the eight-year-old has finally been helped by medical experts in south India, who diagnosed the condition macrodactyly, or localised giantism.
Kaleem’s parents had almost given up on medical help and were living with what had happened to their son as ‘God’s will’.
This x-ray of Mohammad Kaleem’s torso, arms and hands, taken at Ganga Hospital in Coimbatore shows the extent that local gigantism has affected the growth of his hands, in November 2014, India
Inside story: This x-ray of Mohammad Kaleem’s torso, arms and hands, shows the extent that local gigantism has affected the growth of his hands.
