14 DAY TRIAL // An eight-month-old baby boy from Colombia who weighs the same as a six-year-old child has been put on a strict diet by doctors concerned for his health.
Santiago Mendoza has been taken from his family by a Colombian health charity called Chubby Hearts (Gorditos de Corazon) after his mother Eunice Fandiño asked for their help.
The boy is dangerously overweight, as he weighs a whopping 19.7kg (44lb), and needs urgent medical treatment. Although he might seem a happy baby, he is actually very sick and has already been hospitalized several times.
Daily Mail says that local media has dubbed him Colombia's Fattest Baby.
Volunteers from the Chubby Hearts foundation transported the obese boy from his home in the north east city of Valledupar to the country's capital, Bogota, where he will be checked up by specialist doctors and surgeons. The organization also agreed to fund all the necessary treatments.
The boy's mother admits that Santiago's current condition is partly due to her own “ignorance.” She says that the baby was born healthy and thriving, but she fed him every time he cried, which led to his unhealthy weight gain.
“I don't want him to go on like this. God willing, the diet they are going to put him on for his heart will work to reduce his weight,” his mother Eunice said.
The director of Chubby Hearts, Salvador Palacio Gonzalez, said doctors are assessing Santiago's condition and they will try to reduce his weight to a manageable level before performing a series of operations.
“Otherwise, in the future, he could suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and severe problems with his joints,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
Doctors mentioned that the only reason they found for the baby's obesity was overfeeding. They have now placed him on a very strict diet to bring down his weight to 17 pounds (7.7kg) in order to be able to proceed with more advanced medical treatment.
However, they say that what the boy will need is a long-term treatment and a healthy life-style with physical activity and low-fat food in order to maintain a good health. On the other hand, Santiago’s mother promised to strictly follow medics’ instructions.
Salvador Palacio Gonzales says this case raises concerns about the increasing rate of infantile morbid obesity in Colombia, as two out of five children are now above a healthy weight.
A somehow similar case was recorded in China, where 3-year-old Lu Hao was five times the size of an average child his age. He weighed 132lbs (nearly 60kg).