Indian Father Plans to Sell His Kidney to Fund Treatment for His Obese Children

Children suffer from a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome, which causes frequent bouts of hunger, restricted growth and learning difficulties.

A poverty-stricken father is prepared to sell his kidney to pay for the medical treatment of his three obese children.

Yogita (5), Anisha (3) and their 18-month-old brother, Harsh, are among the heaviest children in the world weighing 34 kg (74.8 lbs), 48 kg (105.6 lbs) and 15 kg (33 lbs) respectively. Their father, Rameshbhai Nandwana (34) of Gujarat, India, is a daily wage laborer, who earns a monthly salary of Rs. 3,000 (less than $50). The only way he can afford medical treatment is to sell his kidney.

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Yogita and Anisha eat 18 chapattis, two bowls of soup, 3 lbs of rice, six packets of chips, five packs of biscuits, 12 bananas, and a liter of milk. As they experience frequent hunger, their 30-year-old mother Pragna Ben spends most of her day making their meals.

“My day starts with making 30 chapattis and 1 kg vegetable curry in the morning. After that I am again in the kitchen preparing more food. Their hunger never stops. They demand food all the time and cry and scream if they’re not fed. I am always in the kitchen cooking for them,” said Pragna Ben.

Nandwana said, “If my kids continue to grow at this rapid rate they will have major health issues. We’re terrified they will die.”

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The family has already spent a lot of money on consulting with doctors and treatment over the last three years. “When Yogita was born she was extremely weak and weighed just 1.5kg (3.3lbs). We were worried for her health. So we fed her a lot during the first year of her life to build her strength but by her first birthday she had bloated to 12kg (1st 12lbs),” said Nandwana.

Their third daughter Anisha also went through the same phases like Yogita. The couple understood their children suffer from some disorder only after their youngest son became obese within a year like his siblings.