Boy with the World’s Biggest

Bullied by his peers and called ‘cursed’ by neighbours, the youngster has suffered for his condition – but that could be about to change

13:12, 14 Aug 2015

Medical help: Mohammad Kaleem suffers from a form of local gigantism but an operation hopes to change that(Image: Barcroft)

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.

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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.

Terrible trauma: The Macrodactyly condition caused his hands to grow to a length of 13 inches from wrist to fingertips(Image: Barcroft)

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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.

Help at hand: Dr Sabapathy in the operating theatre hoping to decrease the size of Mohammad Kaleem’s hands(Image: Barcroft)

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“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.

Young patient: Kaleem was placed under anesthetic during his first round of surgery(Image: Barcroft)

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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’.

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(Image: Barcroft)

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But towards the end of last year, the Mohammad family were introduced to Dr Raja Sabapathy – a pioneering hand surgeon who is known for his expertise in micro surgery. Dr Sabapathy took on the challenge to help improve Kaleem’s hands.

“Dr Sabapathy gave us hope after seeing Kaleem. He was the first doctor who told us that some sort of remedy was possible to help our son,” said Haleema Begum, Kaleem’s mother.

Improved life: Kaleem being examined by doctors who have attempted to scale back the size of his hands(Image: Barcroft)

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The recently-televised documentary followed the family as they travelled thousands of miles from their village to Tamil Nadu, to see Dr Sabapathy and his team of expert surgeons at Ganga Hospital, Combiatore.

In one of the most complex cases ever seen, Dr Sabapathy and his team were faced with finding a way to reduce the size of Kaleem’s hands and fingers, without damaging any of his nerves, so that he would still be able to use them.

Tough decisions: Kaleem’s father, Shamin has struggled to find money to pay for medical bills(Image: Barcroft)

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“We decided to go for just one hand to begin with. This was our best way to assess the condition,” said Dr Sabapathy. “At the same time, we did not want to affect the boy’s mobility.”

Kaleem faced an eight-hour surgery to debulk his forearm and hand, and further surgeries to reduce the growth plates so that his hand and fingers would not grow any further.

All set: Kaleem waits to be measured and weighed by doctors during a pre-surgical examination(Image: Barcroft)

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But in the family’s home village, superstitious residents remained convinced Kaleem had been cursed and that surgery would be useless.

“There is no treatment for this boy. He is a devil’s child. This is just because his parents must have committed a wrong deed at some point in their life,” said Mohammad Kaleem, Shamim’s brother.

Misunderstood boy: Kaleem with other young people in his village, where many fear him(Image: Barcroft India)

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Other villagers also believed in the myth. But Kaleem’s parents decided to follow Dr Sabapathy’s advice.

“We knew that there is no such thing as a devil’s child. The villagers love to gossip and that is what they are doing about our son. Ultimately, he is our son and we have to take care of him,” said Shamim.

Large issue: Kaleem’s hands measure 13 inches from the base of his palm to the end of his middle finger(Image: Barcroft India)

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The documentary follows Kaleem as he undergoes a series of difficult operations, and having physiotherapy to try to help him use his new hand. Now, the family is considering further surgery on Kaleem’s left hand.

But in their village, Shamim and Haleema were faced with the challenge of overcoming negative reactions of family and neighbours so that Kaleem could settle back into normal life.

Real struggle: The cricket fan is unable to do many basic tasks – including tying his shoes laces(Image: Barcroft India)

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Amanullah Khan, a village elder, said: “It seems that a solution is possible. Here in the village, we thought that the boy was cursed by God. But we think there is a change of fortunes now and the boy might have a better future.”

Shamim is now optimistic that his son will finally be able to have a normal schooling.

Tough times: Kaleem’s parents earn just £15 a month(Image: Barcroft India)

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Mohammad Sabir, the local school headmaster, said: “We know Kaleem. He had tried to take admission in the school, but for certain reasons we could not accommodate him.

“We’ve now had news that he is being treated.

“With improvement in his hand, we feel that he can begin classes. We are also instructing our schoolchildren to not bully Kaleem.”

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