Perpetual Childhood For Twenty Three Year Old Indian
A mysterious condition has left a 23-year-old man trapped in a baby’s body in India – with locals seeing him as an incarnation of God.
At the first sight, 23-year-old Manpreet Singh will be taken for a one-year-old infant, this has earned him the name the ‘pint-sized man’, his neighbours in Hisar, north-west India, dubbed him “pint-sized man” because, though he was born in 1995, he weighs just 11 lbs.
Family sources say that Manpreet Singh was healthy at birth but he stopped growing abruptly just before he could walk or talk and as such, he has to be taken care of like a toddler and carried everywhere by his uncle and aunt.
Scientists speculate that Manpreet has an extremely rare genetic syndrome called Laron Syndrome, this has however not been authenticated because Manpreet’s family has not been able to raise the more than £5,000 needed to carry out a comprehensive diagnosis.
People living with Laron lack a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, or IGF-1, which stimulates the cell to grow and divide to form new cells. A third of those afflicted live in remote villages in Ecuador’s southern Loja province.
This rare genetic condition has made Manpreet a source of attraction in his local community, it is reported that some of the locals consider him an incarnation of God. Manpreet has swollen palms, feet and a large face with saggy skin and is only able to say a few words, primarily communicating through gestures. While he can laugh, scream and cry, he cannot keep a conversation.
Manpreet’s 45-year-old 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 terrified and cries. He is a delightful child and gestures the guests with his hands to sit, and tries to befriend them.’
His aunt Lakh winder also said:
“Manpreet loves milk cake and eats roti (flattened bread). He loves his morning tea and eats only one or two rotis a day without any mischief.
“Though he only speaks in monosyllables like maa (mom) and mama (uncle), he learned the skills to communicate through gestures. He has also become an expert in mimicking people. He would greet a guest by shaking hands with them and request them to take a seat.
“We have sent him back to his parents several times, but he won’t stay with them. Manpreet would stop eating and keep crying all the time there. But when he is sent back to us again, he would turn into the same bubbly and joyful kid. We love this little bundle of joy so much that the idea of letting him go makes my heart sink,”
‘We took him to a few doctors but his condition could not get any better. We have accepted his fate and in a way are happy to have him as his cheerfulness enlightens the environment,’ said his cousin Mandeep, cuddling his baby brother in his arms.
‘We don’t have enough funds to take him to a better doctor or hospital. We appeal to the kind people of the internet to help us raise funds for Manpreet’s treatment.
A crowd-funding campaign has been started in Ketto, India’s version of GoFundMe, to raise funds for his treatment.
