MANOEL ABREU: The reality is he’s a child, a five year
old baby weighing 80 kilos. The weight of an adult.
COMM: At 178lbs Misael Caldognou Abreu weighs
more the average adult male. But Misael is only 5 years old. And his bulk maybe due to
a rare genetic condition.
JOSIANE DE JESUS CALDOGNOU ABREU: Since he
was born he always put on a lot of weight. Since he was a baby. Even when I was breastfeeding,
he gained more weight than expected. But he really started to gain weight when he was
one year and a half. We started to worry when he gained three kilos in one month and he
started getting heavy.
COMM: Doctors believe that Misael suffers
from Prader-Willi Syndrome. A condition characterised by obsessive eating and an insatiable appetite.
DR. LUCIO COELHO MIRANDA: The current situation
is Misael is a child with morbid obesity. He is a compulsive eater. He eats all day.
Between each consultation, he gains a lot of weight. Sometimes five kilos between each
consultation!
COMM: And the complications of the syndrome can be fatal.
JOSIANE DE JESUS CALDOGNOU ABREU: His condition
is complicated. We know we could lose him at any moment. Last night he was sleeping
and I was watching him to see if he was breathing.
MANOEL ABREU: His heart works under pressure,
suffocated. If we didn’t look after him the way we do, there’s a ninety per cent
chance he would have, he would have passed away.
COMM: Now, Misael must stick to a low fat
diet and walk for forty minutes every day!
MANOEL ABREU: The most difficult thing for
us today is feeding him which is very expensive! We have some financial difficulties, so it
gets hard, paying the rent. It gets hard, but thank god we are able to do everything
we can for him that the doctor asks. He is our happiness, our joy, he brings pleasure
to our home. There is no way to explain it. The difficulty we have is a battle, but our
joy is another, there is no way to explain it.
COMM: Prader-Willi Syndrome has no known cure,
but Misael’s parents and doctors hope that one day he might be able to lead a normal life.
JOSIANE DE JESUS CALDOGNOU ABREU: My hope
is to see a normal child. Because sometimes I cry a lot, because we want to help him!
DR. LUCIO COELHO MIRANDA: I think Misael can
be helped by someone outside Brazil, as much medically to help with the diagnosis, as financially
so he can be submitted for laboratory and genetic tests he hasn’t had yet.
JOSIANE DE JESUS CALDOGNOU ABREU: I am very
proud because he is a child who doesn’t surrender. His teacher told me that everything
the other children do he wants to do as well. He doesn’t want to have limits; he wants
to be a normal child. I admire my son. I live day and night for my son, because he is special.
My son is special!