Both Indian sisters have a rare condition that makes them look like old people in the form of children. Keshav Kumar, 18 months old, and his sister Anjali Kumari, 7 years old, but their skin is already wrinkled, joints are aching, and their faces are swollen. Both sisters are often teased for their unusual looks. Every time they walked on the street, both sisters were stared at. Both just want to be like other normal children, but the doctor said that this disease has no cure.
Anjali said: “I know I am very different from my peers. You have a different face, a different body, and everything is different. My face is swollen so people just stare at me and say bad things.”
Two sisters Anjali (left) and Keshvar suffer from premature aging.
“Others at school call me daadi Amma (grandmother), budhiya (old woman), bandariya (monkey) or raider (monkey queen). I’m very sad. I want to be accepted by everyone. I really want to be as beautiful as my sister. My parents want me to be healthy. But I am very sad to see my family suffering and ashamed because of me. My only wish is to be cured,” the poor girl shared.
Two sisters Anjali have skin laxity, scientific name is Progeria. Indian doctors say that this disease has no cure. Anjali’s older sister Shilpi is not sick.
The sisters’ skin was wrinkled, their joints ached, and their eyes were like old people.
Shatrughan Rajak, 40 years old, who earns 4500 rupees a month only wants money for his children’s medical treatment: “Everyone in the village calls my children ‘old people’. They are very sad. We had high hopes from the local doctors but they said our only hope was to go abroad.”
When Anjali was only 6 months old, she developed pneumonia. After recovering from the disease, Anjali’s skin was dry and flabby. Five years later, Shatrughan and his wife gave birth to baby Keshav, who also had the same mysterious disease as his sister.
“At that time, we did not take Keshav to the doctor because we knew that he was sick like his sister,” Mr. Shatrughan said. “The family is quite poor, going to the doctor is very expensive. If Anjali can’t be cured, then I think Keshav is useless.”
18-month-old Keshvar is rubbing his strangely wrinkled skin. This is a very rare disease in the world.
Sister Shilpi, 11, always has to protect her brothers: “I hate people making fun of my brother. I was very sad but I didn’t say anything. I want to be with my siblings forever, but most of all, I want to teach them to be independent, to be strong so that they don’t need to rely on anyone.”
Anjali has a body like a real old man: Aching joints, labored breathing, loose skin, lifeless eyes. Low immunity makes Anjali susceptible to diseases.
Anjali with her sister. The older sister did not suffer from the disease while both brothers were old before their time.
Dr Kailash Prasad, a specialist at Ranchi Hospital, said it was likely an inherited disease, a form of skin laxity, a very rare disorder. Every month, Mr. Shatrughan spends 500 Rupees to buy medicine for his children but it is not enough. He felt helpless. He saw that his children were older than him and could not do anything.