Indonesian boy is known as biggest kid in the world

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Arya Permana, a 10-year-old Indonesian boy who weighs 140 kilograms (308 lbs), is believed to be the biggest boy in the world. 

Permana, who lives in West Java, was put on a crash diet by his worried parents who fear he may soon die. 

“My son is growing at a rapid rate and I am worried for his health. I do not know any other way to stop him from gaining more weight than to give him less food,” Rokayah, Permana’s mother, told media.

Permana is now on a strict diet of just brown rice and is being asked to exercise more.

Accotding to Rokaya, she said his son was always fatter than his older brother and other children in the village. But she said they were not concerned about his obesity back then, and just wanted him to be happy and healthy. 

“We just feed our son normal portions but he can eat up to 5 meals a day and is perpetually hungry” Rokayah said.

Ade Somantri, Permana’s father who works as a farmer, said he has taken Permana to a doctor, but the doctor could not find any underlying medical condition causing his weight gain. He said the doctor just prescribed vitamins.

“My child’s size significantly changed at the age of 8. And now he weighs 140 kilograms,” he said.

Extreme consequences

Due to his size, Permana is no longer able to walk normally and has stopped going to school. Permana’s mother explained that he could only take a few steps before losing his balance and falling

“I wish my son could go to school and play with the neighbor’s kids like the old days,” she said.

Because they are no longer able to find clothes that fit him, Permana is now only able to wear sarongs.

Permana’s parents said they know their son needs immediate medical treatment, but claim they are too poor to send him to a better hospital. Permana’s parents hoped the government can help their son.

Helping Permana

A netizen named Maria started a donation page for Permana through Kitabisa.com to help the boy

“I am Maria, an employee of a private company in Surabaya. I want to help Arya Permana who is over-obese that he dropped out of school, and could not perform any activities other than watching TV or playing games,” Maria wrote on the website.

As of 6 pm on July 30, netizens had donated 16,676,833 Rp (US$1,264) to Permana’s family.

Social media users also expressed their concern for Permana.

“I hope Arya Permana, the boy who suffers from obesity, be given strength of spirit,” Twitter user novikarani_98 said. – Rappler.com