Eleven-year-old Arya Permana from Indonesia made the news in 2016 for being the ‘World’s Heaviest Child’. He was so obese that he could not walk or find clothes his size, let alone going to school. He was being tutored at home after dropping out of school in the 2nd grade.
He was a topper in grade 1 and 2, but when he cleared for the third grade, he became so fat that he could not sit or move. He could not play or do anything else like other children. He would only watch TV or play on mobile phone.Arya’s Father
Arya was once again in the limelight for having been put on a special diet and activity plan, unlike his earlier food habits which consisted of numerous portions of cola and instant noodles. Regardless, Permana stayed perpetually hungry.
The strict diet of fruits and vegetables could only do so much. While Arya could walk, play, and go to school again, he had not been able to lose more than 6 kilograms in a month.
Following this, the world’s most obese kid is now reportedly being ‘forced’ to undergo a surgery to reduce weight. The Indian Express reported that doctors have carried out a sleeve gastrectomy on Permana to save him. The surgery, that took place on 17 April, reduced the size of Permana’s stomach, and consequently his appetite and weight. He was also the youngest individual ever to have undergone a surgery of this kind.
According to Daily Mail, in the two weeks after the operation, Arya has been able to lose almost 20 kg. Although he has always felt happy and healthy, there is now a real hope for his parents that with medical help, their son will one day be considered as ‘normal weight’ for his age group.
To chronicle Arya Permana’s extraordinary journey, the documentary The World’s Heaviest Child centres around him.
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