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Duangjay SamaksamamThe owner of the largest hands in the world
Country:
 Taiwan |
Content:
- A Rare and Unpleasant Disease
- The Challenges of Living with Enormous Hands
- A Life of Isolation
- A Determined Shop Owner
- Failed Surgical Interventions
- A Diagnosis, but No Relief
Meet Duangjay Samaksamam: The Woman with the Largest Hands in the World
Duangjay Samaksamam, from an early age, hid from everyone just to avoid showing her unusual hands to the world. Over time, she was forced to come out into the open, and her diseased limbs were even studied by medical professionals. However, relief for Duangjay is still not in sight.
A Rare and Unpleasant Disease
For over 50 years now, Duangjay Samaksamam, a Thai shop owner, has been suffering from a rare and unpleasant condition. She is believed to be the only person in the world affected by macrodystrophia lipomastosa, a disease that has affected both her hands along their entire length. Due to this condition, Duangjay's hands accumulate abnormally large amounts of fat.
The Challenges of Living with Enormous Hands
Being the owner of hands that weigh a total of about 20 kilograms is not easy. It is incredibly difficult to move such heavy hands, and even simple everyday tasks like combing hair, washing, or getting dressed become almost impossible for Duangjay. The swollen appearance of her hands is a result of the condition, which according to her mother, manifested shortly after birth.
A Life of Isolation
Until the age of 20, Duangjay was so ashamed of her appearance that she lived as a recluse. She secluded herself at home, avoiding contact with people, not playing with peers, and not attending school (hence, she never learned to read). The rural area where Duangjay spent her childhood did not have experts in unusual diseases, so she did not have access to qualified care or even accurate diagnosis.
A Determined Shop Owner
The need to care for her elderly parents forced Duangjay to leave her seclusion, enter the world, and take over the management of the family grocery store. She has already gained attention from numerous doctors from around the world, many of whom have attempted surgical interventions to reduce the size of the swelling. However, no one has been particularly successful.
Failed Surgical Interventions
In fact, the series of operations performed on Duangjay, starting when she was only 25, complicated the situation in many ways. During the initial surgeries, the doctors did not remove excess tissue. Upon opening her hand, they discovered that the large size and weight of her hands were due to an unusually dense and heavy layer of normal fat. Five months after the wrist surgery, Duangjay started experiencing severe pain and lost sleep. She also lost control over her hands, resulting in objects frequently slipping from her grasp. Two more surgeries followed, but they only worsened her suffering.
A Diagnosis, but No Relief
After several months, a doctor from Kitasato University in Japan finally made a diagnosis. An MRI confirmed that Duangjay's hand swelling was due to macrodystrophia lipomatosa. Unfortunately, this diagnosis did not simplify the situation, and the cause of the disease and its potential treatment remain unknown. Plastic surgeon Eiju Uchinuma has stated that Duangjay's condition is incredibly rare, and he cannot offer any specific solutions. He also expressed that, despite the severity of her current condition, the situation could worsen in the future. Some doctors, in their pessimism, have even suggested amputating Duangjay's hands as the only possible solution, but she is not ready to take such a step yet.
