Showing posts with label Pruthviraj Patil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pruthviraj Patil. Show all posts

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dude!


OK, so I'm shamelessly ripping off Allahpundit with the headline. But this one just begs for it.
It's not easy being a preteen "wolf boy" - but scientists at Columbia University are confident they've finally found the silver bullet that can cure one.

Pruthviraj Patil, 11, suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as hypertrichosis - or "werewolf syndrome" - which causes a thick coat of hair to grow over every inch of his body except his palms and feet.

When he was born in a village near Mumbai, his mother was told she had given birth to a god, but in school, there have been more bullies than believers.

An episode of the TLC series "My Shocking Story" chronicled the efforts of a group of Columbia scientists, including dermatologist Angela Christiano, to develop a cure for Pruthviraj's disorder, which is estimated to afflict fewer than 50 people on the planet.

Pruthviraj's family has tried every imaginable treatment, from homeopathy to laser surgery to a trip to the local barber, but the hair always grows back.

"I just want to be like everyone else," Pruthviraj says in the episode.