Victim of his own body

Zinnat was living like any other boy. He could walk freely and used to give a hand to his brother at work. Everything went well till age 13 when he started growing tall at an abnormal rate. Within the next few years, he became of a victim of his own body. 

Now aged 22 and at 7.5 feet tall, Zinnat suffers from numerous complications. He has a voracious appetite, which he could rarely satisfy due to poverty. His right leg is several inches longer than the left one, causing discomfort and pain in his body when he walks.

The youth from Ramu of Cox's Bazar was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on October 22.

Doctors said a hormonal disorder led to his abnormal height and increased his demand for food intake to more than five times of a normal person his age.

But his poor family cannot provide enough food most of the time. His father Amir Hamza used to collect logs and tree branches from the hills to support the family. To meet dietary needs of Zinnat, other family members often have to go half-fed.

“Zinnat is the third among four siblings. He started growing abnormally at age 13, though none of our family members has this trend,” said Ilias Ali, 24, elder brother of Zinnat.

“It is really tough for me to run the family alone as my father has been out of work for the last six years. Zinnat also cannot help me due to his illness.”

It created another crisis in the family. “My wife left home around eight months back as I cannot ensure enough food for all. She is now demanding I live with her separately.”

“With a daily earning of Tk 200-300, I can't pay for the family's needs,” he said.

“My brother needs 750 grammes of rice for breakfast and 1kg of rice each for lunch and dinner. But we cannot meet his demands, and only give him some additional rice and a huge amount of vegetables,” he said. 

Sharing the challenges he faces, Zinnat said, “Everything was normal till I was 12. After that, I was growing tall abnormally, and it put me through different kinds of physical problems like headache, physical weakness, waist pain, and excessive hunger.”

He now weighs 120kg.

Zinnat said he is getting ample amount of food in the hospital, but he is not satisfied because he is habituated with having “atap” (parboiled) rice.

“I also don't fit in the hospital bed; so I have to sleep on the floor,” he said.

Local lawmaker Shaimum Sarwar Kamal helped him meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, after he was admitted to the hospital, he said. “I was promised Tk 5 lakh by the prime minister.”

In addition to physical complications, Zinnat has a tumour in his brain. “Doctors advised me to undergo a surgery, but I do not want to do it now because it is very risky.”

He also said, “All I want now is go back home and eat to my heart's content. I will take the final decision of having the surgery after discussing with my family.”

Director of BSMMU Brig General Abdullah Al Harun said hormone-related problems made him abnormally tall. “We are giving him free treatment and will continue it,” he said.

Referring to Zinnat's unwillingness to undergo surgery, he warned of future difficulties he may face as a result. “As he is 22, he won't grow any taller, but his bones would get thicker and he would gain weight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zinnat's abnormal body size has invited a new nuisance. Wherever he goes, people come swarming around him and want to take selfies.

“It is really painful when people ask me a lot of questions and want to take selfies,” he said. “I have to stay on my feet to keep their request, although standing for long periods is difficult for me. I feel much more comfortable when i'm sitting.”