Obese Indian kids who had ‘lifechanging’ weight loss operation paid for by online donors are now bigger than ever after treatment failed
Desperate father looking to sell his kidney to afford treatment for morbidly obese siblings
THREE obese children in India who underwent special surgery to lose weight last year are now fatter than ever.
The family of Yogita, 5, Anisha, 4, and Harsh, 3, could only afford life changing surgery in June through online donations.
The kids, who were dubbed “sumo babies” by neighbours, all lost weight because of the operation.
But since then the children, who live in Gujarat, have continued to pile on the pounds.
Desperate father Rameshbhai Nandwana, 35, now plans to sell his kidney to raise money for his children to see specialists.
He said: “The operation has done little good to my kids. If they continue to putting on weight like this, they won’t be able to move an inch in coming days.
“I cannot see them dying in front of my eyes, so I will do whatever deems fit to take them to the right medical treatment. If that requires me to sell my kidney, I won’t hesitate doing so,” says Nandwana.”
Labourer Nandwana earns just 500 Rupees a day, which barely pays for his children’s eating habit. He has taken out loans from family members that rack up to 10,000 Rupees.
He said: “Their belly is an abyss. It is hard to be sure that their well-fed and their hunger is satiated. The kids demand food all the time and if there is any delay they start crying and screaming.
“The kitchen has become my living room now. At times, I get frustrated but then I console myself it is not the kids’ fault. That they are suffering more than I do,”
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Before last June’s weight loss operations, the children were morbidly obsese.
Yogita weighed 5.7 stone, Anisha was 7.4 stone and baby Harsh weighed 2.5 stone.
Each child lost around half a stone through the operation.
But one year later, the kids have gained back the weight and more.
Six-year-old Yogita now clocks 5.8 stone, pre-schooler Anisha weighs 8.8 stone and toddler Harsh is 3.1 stone.
Eldest daughter Bhavika, 7, weighs a normal 2.6 stone.
As the family saw all three kids balloon in their first year, they realised that the children suffered from a disease.
Nandwana has been advised to seek help from specialists in hospitals further afield.
He said: “Since I couldn’t afford treatment in expensive hospitals, I decided to sell my kidney to fund their treatment. Fortunately, the government buckled under media pressure and the kids were taken to the state-run facility in Ahmedabad. After the operation, we were sure that the problem is solved. But no, it was just the begging.
“I hope to generate enough money from that to fund my children’s treatment at a better facility.”
"The government has done the tokenism by helping us last time. This time, I know there won't be anybody to help. So I have started looking for people who need kidney donors. Whatever money I get from selling the organ, I will spend it on their better treatment.”
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