Meet Ayra, the 10-year-old Indonesian boy who ended up weighing 30 stone after he gorged on a diet of cola and instant noodles.
Mother Rokayah, 36, and father Ade Somantri, 45, said their son feasted on five meals of rice, noodles and meat per day, but still complained of being hungry.
Shocked doctors attempted to put Ayra on a healthy diet, but when the weight didn’t fall off quick enough, they opted for surgery to reduce the size of his stomach.
Ayra Somantri, 10, from Indonesia, ballooned to 30 stone after gorging on five meals per day consisting of rice, instant noodles, meat, fish and vegetables
Mother Rokayah, 36, and father Ade Somantri, 45, said that despite eating enough to feed three adults, Ayra would always complain of being hungry
The youngster managed to to lose just 20lbs in four months before the operation on April 17, but dropped a stunning 37lbs in the two weeks after that. Since then, he has shed another 6lbs.
Before the operation, Ayra ate his way through five packets of instant noodles per day, washed down with litres of cola.
He also ate five meals that consisted of rice, fish, beef, vegetable soup and Tempeh – a soy patty large enough to feed two adults.
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His weight was too much for his frame to carry, and he struggled to stand up or move around the house.
Ayra missed school completely as walking to school was an impossible task. Instead he stayed at home and bathed himself in a small pool.
Unable to find clothes that would fit him, he spent his time naked except for a sarong wrapped around his waist.
While his parents say he still tries to overeat, because the size of his stomach has been reduced he is forced to throw the food back up.
The youngster was barely able to stand because of his weight, and was unable to attend school because he could not manage the walk there
Doctors have since operated to reduce the size of Ayra’s stomach by 85 per cent, meaning he is unable to over-eat with vomiting the food back up
Rokayah said: ‘ We were worried about his weight. He was put on a healthy diet and living a healthy lifestyle. No more colas or noddles or rice.
‘However, his weight was not dropping. We had to think of the surgery.
‘He has now lost 20 kilos. We are happy and relieved but he is still overweight for his age. We are hoping that one day he will lose all the extra weight and be as healthy as other children at his class.’
Dr Handy Wing, a surgeon from the Omni Hospital, said his team took two hours to perform a sleeve-type gastrectomy, which involves reducing the stomach to 15 per cent of its original size, and reforming it into a tube – or sleeve – shape.
Arya will also experience a decrease in hunger due to a decrease in the hormone ghrelin, which is known as the hunger hormone.
Rokayah added: ‘He still feels hungry but I think his stomach is not able to receive large amount of food. Each time he tries to overeat, he throws up.
Since the operation the boy’s weight has fallen by 43lbs, and doctors hope that he may one day weigh the same as other children his age
‘He drinks milk and eats just one portion at a time unlike before when he could easily eat meals meant for three adults.’
Bariatric surgery is usually recommended for people aged 18-65 years with a body mass index of more than 35.
But Dr Handy explained that because Arya was morbidly obese, it was important for him to lose weight as he was prone to heart disease, diabetes and breathing disorders.
‘In certain cases, such as Arya, his body mass index was 80 and he required a special handler to improve the quality of his life better.
‘If he was not immediately given the right medical treatment, Arya could have been exposed to the above complications, worse, even death,’ he added.
Doctors are now monitoring the result. Every week Arya will lose weight and doctors hope that after one year can be under 100 kilos.