A charity has stepped in to help Columbia’s fattest baby – who weighs as much as a six-year-old – so he can undergo lifesaving treatment for obesity.
At just eight months, Santiago Mendoza weighs nearly 20 kilograms, an astounding weight for a child of his age that puts him at risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and a raft of other medical conditions, say authorities.
The charity, the Cubby Hearts Foundation, “rescued” Santiago after his mother Eunice Fandino wrote to them for help. She said that she had contributed to his weight gain by feeding him whenever he cried or became upset.
“He was born with an anxiety, so if he cried I just fed him,” she said.
Columbian radio reported that the child had already been hospitalised several times due to complications arising from his weight and may now need several operations as well as specialised dietary plans. His mother, who was confined to her home because her child was too big to take outside, said she was “optimistic” about his future.
