Meet The Werewolf Sisters Of India
Savita, Monisha, and Savitra Sangali
Think youhave bad hair days? Just remember it could always be worse.
For example, there’s this condition called hypertrichosis universalis. It’s a genetic mutation in which cells that normally prevent hair growth in certain parts of the body (like your ear lobes) do not function properly. The result is hair everywhere.
For obvious reasons, they call this the werewolf syndrome, and it affects only 1 in a billion people.
But don’t tell that to sisters Savita, 23, Monisha, 18, and Savitra Sangali, 16, who are from a small village in central India. Because, against astronomical odds, all three of them have it.
The condition was passed down to the girls from their late father, who also had ypertrichosis universalis. However, it usually doesn’t work that way, which is why only 1 in a billion people have it.
Pictured are the three "werewolf" sisters, along with their mother and two of their three "normal" sisters.
And while it would be bad enough to have the werewolf syndrome somewhere in the developed world, in a small “traditional” (i.e. sexist) society like the one these girls live in—where arranged marriage is still the norm—having hair covering your entire body poses some serious socioeconomic problems.
Women in their area need to be married as a matter of survival, since it’s not common for women to enter the workforce. So unless they can somehow manage to save enough money for special laser hair removal treatments, they’re not going to have much luck finding suitable mates. And this will place an excess burden on their family.
Luckily, a documentary filmmaker named Sneh Gupta has heard about the three sisters and is making a film about them in the hopes that it can help the family raise the $22,000 it would cost to have laser surgery for all three girls.
Though if there are any kind-hearted millionaires reading this article right now, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a simple anonymous donation.
[via Daily Mail]
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