8 year old Kaleem suffers from a rare medical condition called
macrodactyly, that means he
has giant-sized hands. He's been excluded from school and cast out in
his
local village in India because he is believed to be "the child of the
devil".
Kaleem's own uncle believes that because his mother visited latrines
when she was pregnant with Kaleem that it could have infected him with
"demons".
A Channel 5 documentary titled 'The Boy with the Giant Hands', follows
Kaleem and his family as they prep for life-changing surgery.
Kaleem
is more than apprehensive but faced with a future of illiteracy and
constant bullying it appears it is the only chance for him. As he
spends his days playing with a rubber tyre by himself Kaleem says: "I
don't go to school because the teacher says the other kids get scared
when they look at me."
The family travel thousands of miles to visit a leading reconstructive
surgeon in southern India, who is convinced he can improve the function
in Kaleem's hands.
The doctors have to work against the clock
during the complicated surgery to manoeuvre between fatty tissues and
swollen nerves in Kaleem's hands. The invasive surgery is risky
for the malnourished eight-year-old, as he has to build up his strength
so he can get his hands reduced to a regular size.
The documentary sees Kaleem get his fingers shortened but the
recovery could take months before the youngster notices a difference.
It's
down to the team to help Kaleem get through the intensive
post-rehabilitation and convince the local villagers and the school the
young boy is not the "devil child".
Source: UK Mirror
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