Last year, my bosom friend asked me to recommend a good nutritionist for her. “Why do you want to see a nutritionist,” I enquired. She told me her daughter was grossly underweight because she has no appetite so she needs to see a doctor to provide a professional advice.
We book an appointment with one female doctor at LEKMA hospital here in Accra. After examining the child (she was 2-years), the doctor was upset with my friend for not forcing her daughter to eat. To cut a long story short, she advised my friend to literally force meals down the throat of her child, no need for medicine.
If your child is underweight because he hardly eats, it becomes a difficult situation for both child and mother. However, conversely a child who eats more than his capacity can be really frightening and that is the situation a Turkish woman finds herself now.
Her 8-month-old toddler weighs a staggering 31kg and is adding up to 1.8kg a month. The son, called Yagiz Bekte, from Samsun, is said to have a rare leptin hormone deficiency that causes him to pile on weight and will only get worse as he grows older.
His parents are now desperate for help because treatment for Yagiz’s condition is only available in private medical practice and is beyond their financial means.
His father, 32-year-old Sedat, told a local news outlet: “If Yagiz doesn’t use this medicine he will continue gaining weight, he will not be able to walk, run or even breath.” Treatment for Yagiz’s condition is estimated to cost up to £30,000 (₵164, 0000) per month and needs to be guaranteed by Turkey’s social services.
Yagiz’s mother, 26-year-old Sevda, said: “Wherever we went we couldn’t get results. Now I ask our president to help us. I appeal to him. There is no other medicine which can help Yagiz.”
