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Just three years after Li Hang was born, his doctors immediately diagnosed him with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes victims to suffer from higher rates of severe obesity, intellectual disability, and height problems.
For Li Hang, his obesity came about because of his avid eating habits. By the time Li Hang turned four, just a year after his diagnosis, he already weighed 94 pounds.
According to China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, Li Hang weighed about 2.5 times the weight of his peers: 36.6 pounds. His weight only continued to climb in the coming years.
Now 11 years old, Li Hang at his heaviest weighed 368 pounds. He has also developed many diseases because of his obesity: high blood pressure, fat liver, and gout.
The boy’s family is desperately encouraging him to lose weight, and sent him off to supposedly helpful weight loss services like exercise programs and even gastric bypass surgery.
The operation allowed Li Hang to drop to 315 pounds – but it was only a temporary win. He soon regained about 15 pounds after he stopped exercising so much.
Doctors have since sent Li Hang to a specialized hospital where the boy can receive treatment exclusively specific to him and the way his Prader-Willi Syndrome manifests itself.
At this new hospital, Li Hang has received cupping treatments, undergone acupuncture, and is now even enduring fire therapy, where doctors cover his body with a wet towel, then place an alcohol-soaked towel on top. The top towel is then set on fire, encouraging the patient’s body to reduce bloating and lose weight.
Since moving to this new treatment facility two months ago, Li Hang has lost just over 30 pounds. We wish him all the best of luck as he continues to lose weight in the coming future.
