Anjali Kumari & Keshav Kumar Indian brother and sister with premature aging syndrome Country: India

Indian Brother and Sister with Progeria

Indian brother and sister, resembling Brad Pitt's "young old man" character Benjamin Button, have suffered from a rare condition that makes them look old. 18-month-old Keshav and his seven-year-old sister Anjali have wrinkled skin, swollen hands, and painful joints. Because of their peculiar appearance, the Indian siblings constantly hear unfavorable remarks and feel the curious stares of others. Anjali and Keshav dream of looking like ordinary children, but doctors shake their heads, saying that there is simply no cure for their condition. Little Anjali said, "I know I am not like other children my age. I have a different face, a different body. I am different from everyone." "Everything in the world looks normal, but I have a swollen face. People always stare at me and say bad words." "Kids at school give me nicknames like 'daadi Amma' (grandma), 'budhiya' (old lady), 'bandariya' (monkey), or 'hanuman' (monkey-like deity). It annoys me. I want to be considered a normal child. I want to be accepted as who I am." "I really want to look as cute as my sister. My parents hope that everything will be fine one day, but I feel sad because my mom and dad are worried and feel awkward because of me. All I want is to be cured. I want to live a long life without suffering." Anjali and Keshav have become victims of a rare form of progeria, also known as Alibert's dystrophy or Cutis laxa syndrome. Indian doctors assure that there is no cure for such a condition. Resembling Benjamin Button, the Indian children live with their father, 40-year-old Shatrughan Rajak; mother, 35-year-old Rinki Devi; and older sister, 11-year-old Shilpi. Shatrughan, a laundry worker, earns 4,500 rupees a month (about $65). He said, "We dream of finding a cure for our children." "Our local community calls my daughter and son 'old people,' and it kills me. We tried seeking help from local doctors, but we were told that the only hope is to wait for help from abroad."
Biography of Anjali Kumar and Keshav Kumar

After the birth of their first daughter, Shilpi, her parents quickly formalized their relationship. When their second daughter, Anjali, was born, problems began. The six-month-old baby developed pneumonia and spent a long time in the hospital. Shatrughan recalls, "When Anjali recovered, it seemed like all the moisture in her body started to dry up. Her skin began to age and sag." "We took our daughter back to the doctor, to the government hospital, but we were told that such a condition cannot be treated, that our daughter's life is now in the hands of God." "The doctors added that they would contact us if a cure is found, but no one has reached out to us yet. Our daughter's body is aging rapidly." After five years, Shatrughan and Rinki decided to have another child, believing that he would not be affected by the same fate as Anjali. But to their horror, similar symptoms were discovered in their son, Keshav, over time. "We did not take Keshav to the doctors because we knew he had the same condition as Anjali," said the head of the family. "Our family is poor, and we cannot afford expensive doctors. They did nothing for our daughter, so we understood that doctors would not help Keshav either." Older sister Shilpi does her best to protect Anjali and Keshav. She said, "I can't stand it when people tease them." "It upsets me a lot, but I don't know what to say in response to cruel children who tease my brother and sister. I will always be by their side. I just hope that they receive the best education so that they never have to depend on anyone in the future. I will teach them to be strong." Anjali already suffers from ailments that are usually seen in elderly people. She experiences joint pain, breathing difficulties, and has sagging skin. Her vision is also not perfect. Due to weakened immunity, Anjali frequently falls ill. While in the Hollywood movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the main character played by Brad Pitt is born as an old man and ages in reverse, in the real-life story of Anjali and Keshav, such a thing will not happen. By now, schoolgirl Anjali has learned a lot about her unusual condition, while Keshav is still too young to fully understand what is happening to him. His mother, 35-year-old Rinki, says, "I massage Anjali's legs all the time. She is constantly in pain. When you see your own children in such a condition, your heart breaks. Anjali keeps asking me when she will become like her sister." Shatrughan spends 500 rupees (about $7) every month on homeopathic treatment for Anjali and Keshav, but it seems that homeopathic remedies do not provide relief. The father said, "I can only afford to pay for homeopathy, hoping that it will help alleviate the children's ailments. But I cannot afford allopathic medicines." "I just hope that someone can provide answers to our questions. I feel helpless. I feel depressed because I don't know what to do to help my children. I see them aging faster than me, and there is nothing that can stop it. It breaks my heart. I pray for a miracle." Dr. Kailash Prasad, a pediatric specialist at the government hospital in Ranchi, has thoroughly studied Anjali and Keshav's condition. He said, "This appears to be a genetic disorder. It is most likely progeria." "Currently, the children's condition is stable, but due to immune deficiency, they are prone to frequent illnesses. Symptoms of old age are starting to appear. There is an increased risk of heart attacks, chest infections, arthritis, and so on. Normally, these things happen in old age for regular people." Professor Ted Brown from the Institute of Basic Research in New York said, "I would say that the brother and sister (from India) may have Cutis laxa syndrome, which has some similarities to progeria, premature aging."