Bhupinder Singh, 16, has been shunned from school because of his unusual appearance – caused by a condition called neurofibromatosis
A teenager has been dubbed the ‘modern-day elephant man’ after a rare condition has caused his skin to sag.
Now Bhupinder Singh, 16, has become a virtual recluse – because he’s terrified of people staring and making cruel remarks.
Bhupinder suffers from a rare condition called neurofibromatosis, which has left him with half lips, a sagging nose, and a missing eye and ear on the right side of his face.
The teen, from India, was shunned from school because of his unusual appearance, and he’s been left too scared to leave the safety of his small neighbourhood where he’s accepted by friends and family.
Despite his fear, the fun-loving teen from Chandigarh in Punjab is just like any other energetic, spirited boy of his age.
Bhupinder Singh watching TV with his sister at his home in India (Image: Caters News Agency)
He loves to play cricket with his friends, and although he can’t go to school he reads books every day – mainly in his favourite language, English – despite suffering excruciating pain due to being blind in his right eye.
While Bhupinder cannot see, eat or speak properly due to his condition, he dreams of becoming a chef and spends his days helping his mother in the kitchen by cooking and chopping vegetables.
He said: “People in my neighbourhood accept me, but when strangers see me they stare and whisper, and shout out cruel taunts.”
Bhupinder’s condition has left him blind in his right eye (Image: Caters News Agency)
“They say I’m a freak, and that it looks like I’m melting,” he continued.
“I try not to let it get to me, but it’s made me scared to leave my neighbourhood.
“I prefer to stay here where people know me, and accept me for who I am rather than what I look like.
“It’s difficult not knowing what the future holds, and I hope one day I’ll have the courage to go out into the world.
“It’s hard being different, but I try to stay positive and despite everything I live a happy life.”
Bhupinder was born with a small tumour on his right eyelid – but as he got older it grew and grew, slowly spreading until it engulfed half his face and left him partially blind.
His parents had known about his possible condition and its consequences before he was born – but despite the risks, they wholeheartedly welcomed him into the world.
His mum Kaushalya Devi, 45, said: “Doctors had informed us about a tumour on his right eyelid after conducting an ultrasound during my pregnancy.
“They had told us about the possible consequences, but I was in the sixth month of the gestational period and had no way to terminate it.
“So my husband and I decided to bring him into this world and give him the best possible life.
“And even though he had a very tiny bump on his eyelid, he was just like any other normal child.
“He was beautiful and always smiling.”
Bhupinder with his friends (Image: Caters News Agency)
Kaushalya and her husband Ram Dayal, 50, who also have an elder daughter, took Bhupinder to a doctor for the first time when he was seven months old.
She said: “Until seven months after his birth, the bump did not grow.
“But then it started growing at a massive rate.
“We took him to doctors who told us there was no way to control the growth.
“They said an operation might control it, but it wouldn’t be possible until he turned 20.
“They just sent us back home with medicines that sadly never worked.”
But as Bhupinder grew up, his face started to droop so drastically that he had to undergo emergency surgery when he was just nine years old.
Ram said: “His face had drooped so much that we had to request doctors to do something.
“Even though they did not give us any assurance, we were hopeful of some magic.
“He had surgery, but that did not really help the swelling.
“He then had two more surgeries, but none were successful.”
Bhupinder was admitted to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI), a premier hospital in Chandigarh where Ram works at the kitchen department and makes £250 a month.
Medics advised the family to take Bhupinder to more specialist hospitals in New Delhi – but Kaushalya and Ram couldn’t afford the treatment.
Kaushalya said: “We have not taken him to any bigger hospital because we have no resources.
“All the surgeries had been possible at PGI because my husband works there, and we did not have to pay for the treatment.
“We cannot afford the expensive treatment – we do not know if it would even get rid of the tumour.”
Although his mother has lost all hopes Bhupinder, who last went under the knife on 13 January, is positive about his life.
He said: “People who see me for the first time are shocked, and even say I have a melting face – but all these comments do not hurt me anymore.
“I have a dream, I want to become the best chef in the world.
“It does not matter if I ever get cured or not.
“Even though the surgeries have not been as successful as I had expected, I am not disappointed.
“I am a happy person and I have a very loving and caring family.
“I have high hopes from life and I want to enjoy every bit of it.”
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/modern-day-elephant-man-rare-8563432