When I heard that 8-month-old Santiago Mendoza of Colombia will be receiving treatment to help him get to a healthy weight, I knew he had to be pretty heavy. Then when I found out this baby weighs roughly 44 pounds, I thought, whoa that is heavier than my 5-year-old, but I still wasn't prepared for the sight of this child. I mean, you can tell he's big just by looking at his face, but when you see him in his entirely, he is HUGE. Painfully, unhealthfully huge and I have no doubt that if something isn't done, he cannot possibly survive in the state he's in. Thankfully his mother, Eunice Fandiño, wrote in to the charitable organization Gorditos de Corazón to ask for help. When you see a photo of this child, you will gasp and realize how much of an emergency situation he is in because of his weight. It's astounding.
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Do you see what I mean? It makes me want to cry that this child is in this situation. His mother confessed that it was her ignorance that led to his phenomenal weight gain. She said, "He was born with an anxiety, so if he cried I just fed him."
On Sunday, Santiago and his mother were transported from their home in Valledupar to Bogota. He will be evaluated by medical professionals and will need long-term medical, physical and psychological treatment. Not to mention his mother needs to be taught how to help him.
This baby has already suffered medical complications because of his weight that have led to hospitalization. If he doesn't get help now, his future does not look very good or very long.
Good luck to this child and his mother. Thank goodness that an organization exists that is able to help them.
Image via Gorditos de Corazón/Facebook
