18-Month-Old Indian Girl With Abnormally Large Head

Runa Begum of India, an 18-month-old baby, is suffering from a rare medical condition termed as 'Hydrocephalus' that causes fluid build up inside the skull.

On Tuesday, the infant girl from Tripura was shifted to the country's capital Delhi to Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) for treatment. Her head had expanded to nearly 36 inches in circumference, creating pressure inside the skull and immobilizing her in such a way that she cannot sit upright nor crawl, reports AFP.

Hydrocephalus, which is also known as water in the brain, is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles or cavities of the brain. It can even cause death.

Runa hails from a poor family, where her father Abdul Rahman works in a brick factory in Tripura and earns $3 a day and does not have enough money to pay for the treatment. Her parents are unable to bear the medical expenses due to financial constraints and hope some miracle will save their daughter's life. A normal surgery to treat hydrocephalus would cost a minimum of Rs. 1.25 lakh ($2,310).

According to Reuters, Runa's mother Fatima said that her daughter had been suffering with this disease since she was born but doctors failed to cure it or improve her condition.

"Day by day, I saw her head growing too big after she was born. It's very difficult to watch her in pain. I pray several times a day for a miracle -- for something to make my child better," Rehman told AFP.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Sandeep Vaishya, who has witnessed more than 100 such cases, says that this is a congenital condition where the overgrowth starts in the womb, but this is an exception. He claims Runa's case to be the biggest in the world. Runa is underweight; weighing just 14 kgs, and the skin at the back of her head is partly dead due to bedsores. Apart from this, the baby suffers from chest infection and has sunken eyes, reports The Hindustan Times.

A campaign by MyGoodAct.com has started in order to raise funds to save the little girl and has managed to collect $16,000 as of Monday.