Pruthviraj Patil, an 11 year old boy from Sangli near Mumbai in India is desperately seeking a cure for his condition that affects only around 50 people in the world.
Like Dede, the ‘tree man‘, Pruthviraj Patil also suffers from unexpected growths, in this case hair grows all over his face and body.
The only areas of Patil’s body that are not completely covered with hair are the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.
HYPERTRICHOSIS
As you may have guessed from the photos, hypertrichosis is a rare genetic condition that is also known as ‘Werewolf Syndrome‘.
I wonder if, in days gone by, people with this condition were the cause of tales of lycanthropy?
Patil hopes that doctors will one day find a cure for the condition which had originally led to children at his school teasing him, though fortunately they now accept him for who he is.
Despite a level of acceptance from his schoolfriends, Patil hardly ever leaves his village due to the fear of being teased by those who don’t know him and understand his rare ailment.
Patil’s parents have tried many possible cures with no avail, the most promising of which had been laser surgery.
Whilst such a procedure did indeed remove the hair, it soon grew back.
Experts believe that his rare genetic condition was probably caused by a random flaw whilst he was in his mother’s womb.
VINAY SAOJI
Vinay Saoji, a plastic surgeon, has examined Patil and was able to confirm that his condition is extremely rare.
“Hairy nevus, where a person has patches of excess growth, or hirsurism, is not uncommon, but hair persisting all over the body is very rare,” he added.
As there is currently no known solution to Patil’s ailment, the boy has appealed to doctor’s to help find him a lasting cure.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
just roll with it .i say id love to be covered in long hair .\
for example.fur the diane arbus story.
Yeti? Maybe
Werewolf?NAAAAH
The yeti is from cold regions though isn’t it? That would mean white hair/fur surely?
Grizzlies are brown furred and live in cold regions.
But you didn’t say ‘grizzlies’, you said ‘yeti’
It’s such a problem to have a very rare condition. Often times, there’s very little funding to seek a cure because of the rarity of the problem and so few people affected. My heart really goes out to this young man. Can’t imagine the extent of what the parents feel inside in trying to help their son. I would feel helpless and distraught with each set back.
With only around 50 sufferers in the world I too wonder if a cure will ever be found.
It’s a harsh fact of life that some medical advancements are not financially attractive
Awwww, I feel so sorry for this poor child. It must be an awful conndition to have to grow up with.
It looks like he has some acceptance from his school friends now but, yeah, it can’t have been much fun.
I don’t think it’s the cause of werewolf stories, it’s much to rare for that and the myth too widespread. Pervs/weirdos on the other hand, are much more common.
There’s a tale in my family that my great granddad as a youngster lived in a village where there was rumored to be a werewolf. One night he encountered ‘the beast’, clocked him one, and much to his surprise the next day in church there was someone sitting there with a very swollen jaw. The werewolf was never seen or heard from again.
Well I’ve never heard of anyone impersonating a werewolf to prey on children but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Was there the suggestion that that is what that guy was doing?