The average baby at 10 months weighs anywhere between 17 and 22 pounds, but Luis Gonzalez from Tecoma, Mexico weighs 28kg or 62 pounds, which is three times as much as the norm. When he was born, he weighed 7.7 lbs., which is nothing to be concerned about, except that his weight keeps accelerating at a rapid pace and doctors don’t know why this is happening.
“I thought it was because I had good breast milk,” said his mother, 24-year-old Isabel Pantoja. The child has been in and out of hospitals because they are scared for his health. “It hurts to watch the nurses search among rolls of fat on his arms for a vein,” says his father, Mario Gonzalez.
His parents opened up a Facebook page and opened a bank account for people to donate money for Luis Manuel’s medical care. One pediatrician told them that the boy may need hormone injections, which can cost $555 each. He goes to the hospital as many as 4 times a week for tests.
Doctors think he may have a disease called Prader-Willi Syndrome, a genetic condition in which children have an insatiable appetite and weak muscle tone, although Luis doesn’t eat a lot. The disorder can also cause heart problems, delays in the development of the brain and genitals, not to mention that his increased body fat can lead to other problems like diabetes.
Silvia Orozco, a surgeon that specializes in nutrition also examined the child and did a tissue sample analysis to see if she can help him. Her theory is that while his mother was pregnant, her diet may have lacked certain nutrients, which caused glands that manage his metabolism to underperform. If that is the case, his weight problem could be controlled with hormone shots before he gets any bigger because right now his life is in danger.