A WOMAN diagnosed with a rare condition says people still mistake her for being a toddler despite her just turning 20.
Aboli Jarit is just 3ft 4in tall – and she still has to wear a nappy daily.
Aboli Jarit,20, has renal rickets, which has stunted her growth
Aboli was born without a bladder and can’t walk due to her condition
But she’s appeared on talent shows and still hopes to become an actress
She was diagnosed with a rare condition called renal rickets that caused bone deformity and halted her growth at an early age.
The condition can also cause kidney failure.
Aboli was born without a bladder, so she wears a nappy every day. She’s also unable to walk due to her stunted growth.
Despite her physical struggles, the 20-year-old from singer from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, says she is happy to look so young.
“At 20-years-old, I’m feeling good, lucky and very special,” Aboli told NeedToKnow.online.
“When everyone grows up, they start looking different, but I look the same […], which I actually like very much.
“I thank god that they made me like a cool little kid who has never changed.”
While she has accepted her challenging condition, Aboli doesn’t shy away from how it can limit her.
“There can be a lot of problems,” she said.
Her family doesn’t have a car, so moving about can be difficult.
And since she was born without a bladder, Aboli had an operation that opened up a hole in her waist so urine wouldn’t accumulate in her body.
Because of that, urine keeps flowing through her waist all the time, Aboli said. She wears nappies around her waist to soak it up.
“Not many people have this rare disease, the good thing is I’m still surviving and most people can’t survive with this,” the 20-year-old reflected.
“But all the doctors said that there is no solution and it will remain same.”
Aboli still hopes to realise her dream of becoming famous.
“I want to become a singer and an actor, in Bollywood and Hollywood, I hope to be able to do it soon,” she said.
When Aboli was a child, she fell in love with singing and dancing and she dreamed of becoming an actress – but as her bones became progressively weaker, she found herself unable to stand.
Soon, she began falling down and once fractured her leg.
This injury later became so painful that she stopped walking altogether.
However, her determination has prevailed and she continues to dance while sitting down.
Soon after the accident, Aboli’s borther Akash entered into a talent competition.
She managed to reach the finals of the competition, which boosted her confidence.
Since then, she’s continued her pursue her dream of becoming an actress – even starring on Indian Idol.
Aboli, who is also a student, added: “When I went to Indian Idol, it was a matter of great pleasure for me, I can’t tell you how much I loved it.
“I am my own inspiration, because I have learned to live life from what has happened to me from childhood till today.”
The singer has also become a viral sensation with over 12,000 followers on social media.
Aboli celebrated her 20th birthday at home with her family recently.
Because it landed on the day of the Holi, a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, they celebrated it in a very unique way.
She said: “I was undecided whether to celebrate my birthday or Holi.
“So instead, we celebrated my birthday at midnight when it hit 12 o’clock, people even called me and gave me lots of blessings and congratulations.
“My mummy made my favourite dish and my designer had gifted me a dress, I felt so good and had a small party.
“I celebrated with my friends and family, got lots of gifts, sang, and danced.
“Then that evening, me and my friends celebrated Holi, so I consider myself very lucky.”
She also received many birthday messages from her Instagram fans.
What is rickets?
Rickets usually occurs because of a lack of vitamin D or calcium
But it can also be caused by a genetic defect or another health condition, the NHS says.
Any child who doesn’t get enough vitamin D or calcium can develop rickets, but there are certain groups of children who are more at risk.
For example, rickets is more common in children of Asian, African-Caribbean and Middle Eastern origin because their skin is darker and needs more sunlight to get enough vitamin D.
Babies born prematurely are also at risk of developing rickets, NHS guidance says.
Sources of vitamin D are:
sunlight – your skin produces vitamin D when it’s exposed to the sun, and we get most of our vitamin D this way
food – vitamin D is also found in some foods, such as oily fish, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals
dietary supplements
Occasionally, rickets develops in children with rare forms of kidney, liver and intestinal conditions. These can affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals.