8-Month-Old Baby Who Weighs The Same As A Six-Year-Old Rescued By Charity

Santiago Mendoza, Colombia’s fattest (but possibly cutest) baby, has been ‘rescued’ by a charity due to the fact the 8-month-old weighs the same as six-year-old toddler! According to the charity that rescued him, Santiago needs to undergo life-saving treatment.

At under a year old, the child, who already weighs around 45 pounds, was flown from his village, Valledupar, to the capital of Colombia, Bogota.

Due to his weight, which is apparently not helped by the fatty snacks his mother gives him when he cries, Santiago has suffered from weight related health issues since his birth. On top of that he has needed to be hospitalised on several occasions due to his obesity.

His mother told reporters that she would always give her son food or milk when he became upset and this caused his weight to increase drastically. She even admitted that her own ignorance had led to the situation today: “He was born with an anxiety, so if he cried I just fed him,” she said.

Salvador Palacio González, the director of the Chubby Hearts charity which rescued Santiago, said that the child would be evaluated by specialist doctors at the Colina Clinic. Doctors will then be putting Santiago on a strict diet in order to bring his weight down to a manageable level before he goes under the knife.

Cesar Ernesto Guevar, a surgeon in Colombia said that it was: “Likely, what he will need is a long-term treatment, education, healthy food, and when he is older physical activity. Otherwise, in the future, he could suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and severe problems with his joints.”

The boy’s mother revealed to reporters that she was more or less house-bound due to the sheer size and weight of her baby as he was “too heavy” to take out. She said she was optimistic about the help he would now be getting and has promised to stick to whatever program the doctors set down.