A young boy branded the ‘devil’ has endured the cruel taunts of villagers who believe his giant hands are a sign he’s cursed.
The 12-year-old suffers a mysterious condition that has caused two fingers and his thumb on each hand to balloon.
Meanwhile, the last two fingers on each hand have stayed a normal size.
His family say Tarik, from Uttar Pradesh, India, has had big hands since he was born, but have continued to grow.
His aunt, Pushpa, said: “Since birth, his hands were always big.
“As he started growing his hands got bigger.
“When his father was alive he took him to the local doctors a lot.
“But his father passed away and he only has his mother now, so he can’t get any treatment.”
Tarik’s older brother, Hargyan, takes care of Tarik and helps him with simple daily tasks that his hands prevent him from being able to do.
Hargyan said: “His hands are really big. I have never seen such big hands in my life.
“He is stuck in his life. He cant even change his clothes. I have to look after Tarik.
“Its difficult for Tarik to complete his daily chores like bathing, dressing, and eating.”
The condition, which has not been diagnosed by doctors, has caused Tarik’s huge hands to grow, measuring 12 inches from the tip of his thumb to the tip of his first finger.
Sadly that has resulted in Tarik being bullied by his neighbours and friends.
He was also refused admission to school.
Tarik said: “I had few friends in the beginning but now I don’t have any.
“People are scared of my hands. I wanted to study but school refused my admission.”
Tarik was cruelly branded “The Devil” by villagers who believe his large hands are the result of a curse.
Tarik said: “People think having this condition is a result of some curse.
“They don’t know it’s a medical condition and it could be cured.
“It’s just we don’t have money for the treatment doesn’t mean it can’t be cured.”
His brother added: “The school authorities said they could not take Tarik, as his huge hands will scare other kids. He was denied admission in almost every school.”
Tarik’s aunt, Pushpa, believes the condition is from God and he will get normal hands soon.
Pushpa said: “He can’t dress without brother’s help. His life is totally dependent on us.
“We have to take care of him all the time. But I am sure he will get a better treatment.”
The family has approached many local doctors, but each time, they have returned home disappointed.
Hargyan said: “We went to many places for his treatment. All of them were local doctors with no sophisticated equipment. We can’t afford a good hospital for him.
“Local doctors never helped. Every single doctor suggested to get Tarik a proper treatment. But for us, there is no way. He has to stay like this till we have some money for the treatment.
On a recent visit, Dr. Pawan Kumar Gandhi said: “Tarik’s problem is actually a mystery to us. We’ve never seen a patient with this before.”
SUN.
