Parents of Indian boy with rare ailment pray for his death

An Indian boy who was born with a rare condition has his neck sitting at 180 degrees on his body.

The parents of a 12-year-old Indian boy, Mahendra Ahirwar, are praying for his death instead of the life of misery he is living. According to the sad parents, Ahirwar is suffering from a rare condition that sees his head hanging at a 180-degree angle from his body.

The parents, Mukesh and Sumitra, claim Mahendra has seen 50 doctors but none have given a diagnosis to his strange condition.

Mahendra Ahirwar
(Asia Press)

The desperate parents therefore wish he would die rather he died than continue to suffer.

Mahendra Ahirwar, from Madhya Pradesh in central India, has a weak backbone which means he can't stand or walk and is restricted to a sitting position and can just crawl but needs help to eat and go to the toilet.

His 35-year-old mother, Sumitra says:

"I cannot see him suffer anymore. Watching his life is devastating. He cannot do anything by himself. He just sits in a corner of the room all day. It's no life.

I have to carry him like a baby everywhere but he is 12 years old, how will I carry him when he grows even older? If doctors cannot treat my son, it is better that God takes him."

But in a shocking twist, members of the community have blamed Mahendra's condition on his father's past sins and believe he is to blame for his son's disability, despite having three other healthy children.

Mahendra Ahirwar and his healthy siblings
(Asia Press)

His father, Mukesh says:

"Our other children had all been born normally with no problems, so we never thought to consult a doctor or have an ultrasound done with Mahendra, and he was born at home just like his siblings.

At first we thought he was just a little weak and he'd be fine in time, but by his third birthday he wasn't able to keep his head upright at all.

People say bad things about him, and they often laugh at him. It really hurts us.

We cannot tolerate people's attitudes and discrimination. They say I must have committed some terrible sins and this is why he is suffering, it’s awful."

  Mahendra Ahirwar
(Asia Press)