The affliction means Bablu Pashi is in enormous pain and everyday tasks such as washing are immensely difficult.
The 25-year-old from Allahabad in India suffers from gigantism , a disease that causes excessive growth of body tissue.
It
means he can only walk for 10 minutes without taking a break because
his 3st 1lb arm is so heavy - twice the weight of a dachshund.
“I’ve been this way since I was born. As I got older my hand kept growing and growing,” Bablu said.
“The weight of my arm is 20 kilos [44lbs] and while washing it up it starts to hurt.
"I am not able to walk. I walk for 10 minutes and then for 10 minutes I have to rest. These are the difficulties I face.”
As a young man Bablu faced severe abuse in his home town and was cruelly dubbed a “devil child” by his neighbours.
He
moved to Mumbai to seek proper treatment, but has struggled to find
work in the city and continues to face prejudice on a daily basis.
He
said: "I came to Mumbai so that I can work here and earn for myself. I
also want a proper treatment so that I can look for a job.”
But his condition has made it extremely difficult for him to find a
paid position, with potential employers frightened of his abnormally
large limb.
Bablu said: “No one wants to help me in this city. If
I go to some shop for work, they beat me and ask me to leave. They
don’t even let me in.
"I don’t even have the money to buy food for myself - I don’t have anybody to help me.”
And his arm has also prevented him from finding a wife or fulfilling his dream of having children.
He
said: "Women notice me but they turn a blind eye or walk far away from
me. Why would they even talk to me? They see my condition and they
prefer to stay away.
“If my arm was normal, I would have been
living with my family. I would have my own family and kids. I would have
married like others do.”
Doctor RL Gangrade, who had a
consultation with Bablu, said: “It’s a genetic disorder. Right now it's
developed. He needs a plastic surgeon who will take care of his
condition.
“Staying in hospital for so long under observation and reconstructing the arm is a very lengthy process.
"I would like to say that he should get some government help for his big arm. He should get a handicap certificate.
“It is going to be really difficult if you will ask him to survive with only one arm.
However, the cost of the surgery could be as much as £15,000 - far
beyond Bablu’s scope, as he is currently forced to live on the streets
as a beggar.
Bablu wants to go home once his arm becomes normal so that he can live a life like others.