Prisoners in Their Own Home

TWO brothers in India have been forced into isolation due to a rare condition.

TWO lonely brothers in India hide under their mother’s scarf when they go outside, fearing ridicule because of a rare ageing condition baffling the medical world.

Ramesh and Laxman Jadhav, aged eight and 13 respectively, suffer from a rare genetic disorder that causes their bodies to age too fast.

While doctors have concluded is not progeria, they have yet to determine what it actually is. Their mother, Savita Jadhav, 30, from Pune, central India, is desperately worried they will die young and is hoping for a medical breakthrough sooner rather than later. “We know they are ageing fast and could die any time,” she says. “We have spent every cent we have on trying to help them but no one has come forward with any answers. We do not expect any miracles but we do want someone to make life comfortable for them.” When Laxman was born he was much smaller than other babies but it was only after his first birthday did the parents realise there was something wrong.

Father Ankush Jadhav, 37, who is currently unemployed, says, “They’ve never lived normal lives. They cannot go to school; they cannot play outside and make friends or socialise. Local schools do not want to take responsibility for their fragility and if we risk it and let them play with other kids their age they injure themselves easily. They are prisoners in their home and we have no idea why. We don’t even know their condition.” Ankush finally met with Dr Aayush Gupta, an assistant professor, at DY Patil Hospital last year.