Bangladeshi patients Bithi Akhtar sits for a photograph as she waits in a ward at a hospital in Dhaka on May 12, 2016.
The 12-year-old聽suffers from Byars-Jurkiewicz syndrome and a complication known as hypertrichosis 鈥� dubbed 鈥渨erewolf syndrome.鈥� 聽AFP PHOTO / STR
DHAKA,聽Bangladesh聽鈥� The family of a 12-year-old聽Bangladeshi聽girl聽who suffers from a rare condition that causes thick hair to cover her face and body have spoken out as they seek to fund surgery to give their daughter a chance at a normal life.
Bithi Akhtar suffers from Byars-Jurkiewicz syndrome and a complication known as hypertrichosis 鈥� dubbed 鈥渨erewolf syndrome.鈥�
鈥淪he has been covered with hair since she was born. We thought it would go away as she grew up,鈥� Akhtar鈥檚 mother Beauty Begum said.
As a result of the syndrome, swollen gums cover Akhtar鈥檚 teeth, and her breasts make up almost half of her 38-kilo frame, leaving her unable to stand or attend school.
鈥淲e thought it was God鈥檚 wish she was born like this. But I no longer can see my kid bearing all the pain anymore,鈥� her mother told AFP.
Only four or five people in the world are thought to have the same exact condition, the child鈥檚 doctor said.
鈥淏yars-Jurkiewicz syndrome creates facio-genital disorder and massive bilateral enlargement of breasts after puberty, which has happened to the young聽girl,鈥� said Fakhrul Alam, a doctor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
Akhtar鈥檚 family are seeking to generate awareness of her plight in a bid to raise funds for treatment, with doctors saying her life could be vastly improved with surgery.
Doctors plan to carry out a breast reduction, reduce her swollen gums and give her hormone therapy to control her body hair.
鈥淲e are truly optimistic the kid will be returning to normal life after the entire procedure,鈥� Alam said.
While the university treating Akhtar covers part of the cost of her treatment, her father, a motorbike taxi driver, said the family still cannot afford the rest.
鈥淚 had to spend more than 80,000 taka ($1,025) to buy medicines, a big chunk of which was a bank loan. And I don鈥檛 have anything left for her treatment,鈥� Abdul Razzak said.
The聽girl鈥檚 parents drew inspiration from the case of a 26-year-old聽Bangladeshiman who received hundreds of offers of financial help as he sought surgery to remove huge bark-like warts from one hand.
Though she presently spends most of her time in hospital, Akhtar is optimistic for the future.
鈥淚 want to go back to school,鈥� she told AFP. 鈥淲hen I grow up, I want to be a doctor.鈥�