Rare condition causing leg to balloon thrice its size forces girl to live as a recluse

Disorders affecting few people in the world can leave patients in difficult situations with lack of awareness and social stigma in certain parts forcing them to face the ordeal in isolation. Cases of a man with a tumour and another with a face that got him dubbed a ghost facing discrimination have been reported earlier, but a child having to live like that is heartbreaking.

Seven-year-old Tahira from Pakistan’s Balochistan region suffers from elephantiasis which has caused her leg to balloon thrice its size. The swollen leg weighing 10 kg has left the child in pain as she has to live as a recluse.

Tahira needs help from family members to climb stairs and has been forced to drop out of school due to her condition. While urgent medical assistance can help her, Nasira’s father isn’t able to afford treatment for her.

The child has had the condition since birth but was able to run on her own despite the swelling till two months before. Now she is bedridden as her family members are concerned about the disorder that is causing a lot of pain to Tahira.