Rare illness leaves woman, 24, mistaken for a toddler

Standing under 3ft tall and weighing just 3st, this 24-year-old woman is constantly mistaken for a toddler. Sari Rezita Ariyanti was born in 1993 but is unable to walk and has to rely on her relatives to push her around in a wheelchair. Due to the illness, she also struggles to communicate verbally other than a few simple words and sounds.

Sari’s mother didn’t even realise her daughter suffered from any kind of medical condition until she was two. The second of five children, Sari lives with her mum Suryani Suud and sister Lela in Didie Jaya District, Indonesia. Suryani said: “I feel very sad. I see my first and third children and they are healthy but Sari is different. I was deeply shocked but thanks to God, Sari has siblings who love and take care of her.

“People would stare at us and others would ask ‘why can’t she walk and why is she so short?’ She added: “When Sari was a baby, I used to take her to the market, and someone asked why does my first child and Sari look so different. I was sad, so I couldn’t answer it.”

Despite looking like a child, Sari has her period every month and asks her mum for make-up. This comes after it was revealed a poor girl’s skin peels off in a horror disease.