Boy has bizarre illness – eats sponge

A 16-year-old Saudi boy has been hit by a bizarre illness that pushed his weight above 100 kg—eating sponges and pillows.

Hadi Sayyed Ali from the capital Riyadh began putting on much weight two years ago and he was close to 120 kg this week, according to the Arabic language daily Alriyadh.

“He does not stop eating all the day. Recently he started to eat sponges and he has also eaten his pillow and blanket. He has not left any sponge in the house,” it said, quoting his father Sayyed.

Sayyed said his son no longer can move properly because of his obesity, adding that he could not take him to a specialized hospital because of lack of funds. “I call on all benevolent people to help my son,” he added.

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