At just 6 years old, Lalit was diagnosed with hypertrichosis, also known as «werewolf syndrome». The boy was born not merely hairy, but covered with thick fur from head to toe. His grieving mother was told at the maternity hospital that there was no cure for such a condition.
At first the mother cut and shaved off her son's hair, but it grew back rapidly and once again covered the boy's entire face and body. The boy's parents, who were raising 13 other children besides him, did not know how to fight this condition. They turned to doctors and professors in the capital, but they all threw up their hands. Genetics cannot be defeated – that was the answer.
Of course, the unfortunate Lalit had to face the incomprehension of ignorant neighbours. This, in essence, was what his parents had feared. Otherwise the boy grew up perfectly healthy. But there was no avoiding the bullying – Lalit was called names, people even tried to beat him and threw stones at him.
«My classmates bullied me and at the same time were afraid that I might bite them. They called me an ape-man and thought I was some kind of mythical creature», – Lalit himself recounts.
But he had to learn to live with this condition, for there was no choice. He had to go to school, help his father on the farm – to do all the things that boys his age do.
But after he became known around the world, Lalit's life changed fundamentally. No wonder, for he became a celebrity! He is now 17, an excellent student at school, with a host of friends not only among his classmates but all over the world. He is active on social media and communicates with people. Lalit Patidar helps his parents on the farm, runs his own video blog, and dreams of getting into university and one day becoming a police officer.
«I am different from ordinary people in a good way, I am unique. I have learned a great deal. Most importantly, I have understood that I am one in a million, that I must never give up and must live life to the fullest. I always want to move forward and be happy. I am different – but our differences are exactly what make us strong», – the boy says philosophically.
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By the way
Hypertrichosis really has no cure, there is no medicine for it. The condition is very rare; to this day there are only around 50 people in the world with this diagnosis. People with hypertrichosis are doomed to a lifelong battle with excess hair: all manner of epilation and depilation methods are employed. Perhaps Lalit will one day have the opportunity to undergo laser hair removal, which would considerably ease his life. But one can only guess how much such a procedure would cost, given the scale of the problem. For now Lalit simply trims his hair when it gets too long.
