A very rare genetic disease has led to the fact that a 20-year-old girl who wears baby clothes and weighs only 19 kilograms, will forever remain a five-year-old child.
Lakshmi Yadev has not changed in any way since the age of five. Now the height of a 20-year-old girl is only 98 centimeters. She weighs 19 kilograms and wears clothes designed for six year olds.
A rare genetic disorder caused Lakshmi to stop growing 15 years ago. The girl resigned herself to the idea that for the rest of her life she would have to live locked in the body of a child.
Lakshmi has gone through years of bullying and sidelong glances, but according to her, the hardest thing was to come to terms with the fact that illness robbed her of a future. She knows that she will never have children, and therefore does not see the point in getting married. The girl confesses that she is afraid to trust a man and be rejected.
“Sometimes I think about a normal life that I could possibly live if I were healthy. These thoughts make me very sad. After all, then I could have fun, be independent, and enjoy life like all my peers,”said Lakshmi, living in the suburbs of New Delhi, in an interview.
Years of ridicule and fear that she would be kidnapped led Lakshmi to become afraid to go out on her own. However, she says she is able to cope with this phobia with the support of her family.
Her mother, 52-year-old Parvati, buys her daughter's clothes from children's stores to relieve her embarrassment. Lakshmi's brother, Azad, suffers from the same disease, but despite this, decided to pursue a career as a teacher, and believes that the bullies forced him to work even harder to achieve his goals.
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Her younger sister Suman, now 15, is developing normally. She tries to accompany Lakshmi everywhere and "motivate" her.
“I really don't want to meet new people, it hurts me a lot to be stared at every time,” Lakshmi said.
However, the girl learns to cope with her fears. Following Azad's example, and with the support of her parents, Lakshmi even started working in a store.
“I am very afraid of the cruelty of people, but I will do my best to overcome my fears,” she says.
The money earned by the girl can become a serious help for her family, who lives on $ 130 a month. The low level of income has already had tragic consequences - the parents could not afford to purchase the growth hormone necessary for Lakshmi and Azad, which would significantly improve their condition. Some treatments are still available to young people, doctors said, but they were significantly more effective at an earlier age.
However, despite all the difficulties, Lakshmi managed to graduate from high school with the highest marks, and now plans to take computer courses in college.
Alexey Slobodyan