Latur farmer gives up life savings so he can see his kids walk

Smita, before the double amputation; (right) Abhay is undergoing surgeries to straighten his legs

Smita, 6, and Abhay Dattarey, 5, are called the 'crawling children' in their village in Latur. While all the other kids their age are running around, the Dattarey siblings never learnt to walk because of a rare congenital condition called Tibial hemimelia. Their lower legs were short and folded inwards, leaving them with no option but to crawl on their knees.

Their father, Dattarey Waghmare, 27, dreams of the day his children will walk to school. Earning a modest Rs 4,000 a month, the farmer has already spent his entire life savings and taken a deep dive into debt to pay for medical treatment to make his dream come true.

Rare deformity
Dattarey had welcomed his firstborn, Smita, into the world in 2012, but was shocked when he saw that her legs were folded inwards, and she had seven toes on each foot. This also came as a shock to doctors in Latur, and it was only in Mumbai that experts diagnosed her with Tibial Hemimelia. It is a spectrum of deformity characterised by a shortened or absent tibia and relatively unaffected fibula, along with duplication of toes. A year later, Dattatrey welcomed his second child, Abhay, who was born with the same deformity.

"When the kids started growing up, they couldn't walk, but crawled on their knees. They became the subject of ridicule and stigma. Others would call them handicapped or make fun of them. Even in buses and trains, they would always be stared at by passengers," he said.

Long treatment
The children are being treated at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel, but the family still faces a mountain of expenses before the kids can get on their feet. Doctors amputated both of Smita's legs six months ago, as her deformity was too severe to correct. Her father hopes to get prosthetics fitted for her. Meanwhile, Abhay has undergone seven surgeries in the last three months alone, as doctors attempt to straighten his legs.

"Abhay's condition is less severe, so doctors are trying to straighten his left leg first, and then they will begin with the right leg. He underwent the first surgery three months ago, and will have to be admitted again in a couple of days," said the father.

Running out of funds
Dattarey has already sold his cows, valuables and taken a loan from local moneylenders, who are now chasing him for repayment. "In the last five years, I have spent Rs 4 lakh, but now I need more money to arrange for my daughter's prosthetics and continue my son's treatment. The crowd-sourcing website, Ketto, helped me raise around Rs 2 lakh," he said.

"Now that my children have reached the school-going age, I don't want them to be held back. I want to educate them and help them feel normal, and see them walk like the other kids," he added.

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