For over five years now, Arun Premsingh Rajasingh, a 37-year-old resident of Chennai, has not been able to venture out of his room or house, not once.
An engineering graduate, Arun was born with a giant right leg, a rare genetic mutation called segmental overgrowth syndrome that causes asymmetrical growth in the body. Arun’s right leg is five times its normal size and weighs over 100 kilograms, thereby restricting his movement.
Yet, Arun has nothing but awe for his body and calls it “an art made by god”. Time and again, Arun has repeatedly refused to amputate his right leg, an easier solution to his present condition.
While several science research organisations are currently working on finding a cure for such conditions, the only available and known treatment is surgical removal of tissue.
With limited treatment, Arun’s only priority right now is to be able to step outside the confines of his room and to be able to see the world again. “I will start with my mother’s grave,” he says in a video shot for Discovery’s TV show - Body Bizarre.
Arun currently lives with his wife Sarah and sister Shalini in Chennai’s Medavakkam, where his world is restricted to a small 10x10 room in his flat.
In spite of being born with a rare medical condition, Arun never gave up on his studies, graduating in engineering with majors in Computers. In 2006, he even founded his own web design firm, Kenriche Technologies.
But the growing weight of his right leg coupled with his OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), a condition he developed soon after his mother’s demise in 1998, forced him to take a break from business. This was around the same time he stopped moving around freely. Arun’s burgeoning right leg meant that the existing wheelchairs or crutches are underequipped to carry him around.
“Sometimes he would slip into depression. He also has Type 2 Diabetes which makes life even harder. For now, he hopes to be able to leave his room,” shares his wife Sarah.
If resilience in the face of adversity is the greatest strength of human spirit, then Arun can be called an extremely resilient man. Arun currently has a fundraising campaign going to get him a Motorised Wheelchair and a customised van with chair uplift mechanism. If you would like to help Arun, you can do so here and here.