Babies are precious gifts given to us by God. A baby’s body and brain develop at an astounding rate in the first year they live. Your tiny newborn quickly morphs into a curious, active little human eager to explore the world and even add more value in the process. But, what happens when your child cannot achieve all of that, because they are trapped in the body of a one-year-old forever?

Well, that’s an unfortunate situation for the 21-year-old man identified as Manpreet Singh that has been trapped in the body of a toddler for 20 years due to a mysterious illness.

How could this be?

Manpreet Singh was born in 1997 but at the age of one, and weighing 11bs, he stopped growing. The illness is believed to have stunted his growth since birth. According to Daily Mail Magazine, he is believed to be about 23 inches tall, and he can neither talk nor stand without support.

This earned him the nickname “Pint-sized man” from his neighbors who live in Hisar, India. The 21-year-old lives with his uncle and aunt in Hisar, India as his parents could not afford to take care of him any longer.

His parents and guardians have tried to find out what may be wrong with Manpreet, some local doctors suggested that it may be as a result of a hormonal imbalance while one scientist thinks the 21-year-old man may be suffering from Laron Syndrome.

What is Laron syndrome?

Laron syndrome is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to utilize growth hormone. It is primarily characterized by short stature. Although affected people are generally close to average size at birth, they experience slow growth from early childhood. When this illness is not treated early, the adult males and females may have a maximum height of 4.5 feet and 4 feet tall respectively.

Though Manpreet is the same height and weight as a six-month-old baby, he is believed to be one of the smallest people in the world. The local villagers believe the 21-year-old is the reincarnation of a Hindu god.

Though the grown-up toddler still can’t talk, he finds ways to make people laugh especially when his uncle and aunt are saying their prayers before driving.

His uncle and aunt have been worried about his future, so they have made efforts to reach out to doctors in nearby cities. But, the cost to carry out a full diagnosis on Manpreet to determine what the actual cause of the illness may be and how to make him better so he can experience a normal future just like every other human is very high.