'Elephant Man' Refuses Surgery To Keep On Begging To Feed His Family

Meet Mannan Mondal, a 50-year-old Indian popularly known as the Elephant Man or the Melted Man, who has refused reconstructive surgery as his disease brings him money to survive.

A resident of New Delhi, Mannan suffers from neurofibromatosis - a number of inherited conditions that are clinically and genetically distinct and carry a high risk of tumor formation, particularly in the brain. A growth of benign tumors has disfigured the man's face and neck, now he can not even normally eat and talk, although the so-called "trunk" is not cancerous or painful.

From an early age Mannan used to beg on the streets as he was banned from school and could not find a job. His appearance has always been a subject of ridicule but it did not stop him from finding love and getting married. He found love at 18 and now has two sons and two daughters to provide for.

'Elephant Man' Refuses Surgery To Keep On Begging To Feed His Family

Seems unbelievable but he does not complain about his life, now he has to feed his family and collect money for his daughter's wedding that is why he did not accept doctor's offer to remove the tumor from his face.

The man who has one eye, one ear and four teeth travels across India begging at holy sites, earning about $9 a day to send back to his beloved family. Fortunately, none of the family members have inherited the condition.

He said: "I have been like this since birth. I was born poor and I had limited options. When I was younger these deformities were much smaller but they have all grown much larger with age. People around me do not treat me very well. They are disgusted by me and don't like me. This is how it has been for years.

"I have learned to manage like this. For example, I don't use a toothbrush to brush my teeth. I use my fingers as I have only four teeth. I do not have a home. I live on the streets under tents pitched on the footpath and I do not have money to buy land or houses. But my wife and family have been very supportive. They have always told me that my condition is God's creation. We humans cannot do anything to avoid it."

Last month, Mannan was given a thorough consultation by Dr Ajay Kashyap, director of Plastic Surgery, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, in Gurgaon.

He determined Mannan suffers from a type of neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition which causes uncontrollable growths along the nerves.

The condition made headlines when 53-year-old Italian Vinicio Riva - who suffers from a similar condition - was kissed by Pope Francis at the Vatican last year.

Dr Kashyap said: "Mannan's tumours are benign, they are not cancerous. They will not shorten his life expectancy. But the bones have not developed properly on one side of his face so he has no support and this has caused the tumour to drop down.

'Elephant Man' Refuses Surgery To Keep On Begging To Feed His Family

"To reconstruct his face we would have to take away as much of the tumour as possible. After that, we would reconstruct the vital parts of his face he is missing. We could give him a new mouth, some kind of an eye socket and some skeletal support to make his appearance as normal as possible. But even after the procedure, he would not be 100 per cent normal. My main aim would be to give him some comfort and to make him and his children feel like he is normal."

Surprisingly Mannan has turned his back on this opportunity - and vowed to continue begging as he feels this is his career and his sole option to make enough money to provide for his family.

"If there was an option of getting better without having to pay then I would definitely take it. But not now. I have a wedding to think about. I will have to go back home, talk to my family and then decide. But feeding my family will always come first,' he said.