This will bring you to tears...50 year old Mannan Mondal,known as India's 'Elephant man' has turned down the opportunity to get a new face just so he can continue begging and pay for his 20 year old daughter,Rasheeda's wedding.
He refused radical re-constructive surgery offered by surgeons,and prefers going to holy sites across India to beg where he earns about £5 a day .He then sends all the money back to his beloved family .None of them have inherited the condition..According to Daily mail,he said:
'I will have to buy a lot of things - beds, cabinets, rings, watches and a cycle for the groom,The money I earn while begging is barely enough to feed my family. But I have no other way to help my daughter. I have to continue like this. I have to think about feeding my family first.'I have been like this since birth.'If there was an option of getting better without having to pay then I would definitely take it.But not now. I have a wedding to think about. I will have to go back home, talk to my family and then decide. But feeding my family will always come first.' I was born poor and I had limited options.
When I was younger these deformities were much smaller but they have all grown much larger with age.People around me do not treat me very well. They are disgusted by me and don't like me. This is how it has been for years.'I have learned to manage like this. For example, I don't use a toothbrush to brush my teeth. I use my fingers as I have only four teeth.I do not have a home. I live on the streets under tents pitched on the footpath and I do not have money to buy land or houses.But my wife and family have been very supportive. They have always told me that my condition is God's creation. We humans cannot do anything to avoid it.'
Dr Kashyap said:
'Mannan's tumours are benign, they are not cancerous. They will not shorten his life expectancy.
'But the bones have not developed properly on one side of his face so he has no support and this has caused the tumour to drop down.To reconstruct his face we would have to take away as much of the tumour as possible. After that, we would reconstruct the vital parts of his face he is missing.'We could give him a new mouth, some kind of an eye socket and some skeletal support to make his appearance as normal as possible.'But even after the procedure, he would not be 100 per cent normal. My main aim would be to give him some comfort and to make him and his children feel like he is normal.'Surprisingly Mannan has turned his back on this opportunity - and vowed to continue begging.He feels this is his career and his sole option to make enough money to provide for his family."
No comments:
Post a Comment