SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL CALLED “GRANDMA” BY BULLIES — BUT HER FAMILY IS FIGHTING FOR HER FUTURE

Aizza Akhil was born a healthy baby. Months later, her parents noticed dramatic changes in her skin — and their lives changed forever.

Aizza Akhil is only six years old.

She loves dancing, drawing and playing with other children — the simple things that make up an ordinary childhood.

But at school, Aizza has sometimes been treated differently because of a rare genetic condition that affects her skin.

Children have called her “grandma” because of her appearance, leaving the young girl in tears and forcing her parents to watch their daughter face challenges no child should have to endure.

Now, her parents in Wayanad, Kerala, India, are doing everything they can to give their only child the medical care she needs and the chance to grow up healthy and confident.

SHE WAS BORN HEALTHY

According to her mother, Anjali, Aizza was born following a normal pregnancy and appeared to be a healthy baby.

It was around six months later that her parents began noticing something was changing.

The skin on Aizza’s face started becoming loose and increasingly wrinkled.

Her parents did not understand what was happening.

They took their daughter to more than a dozen doctors across Kerala before she was eventually diagnosed with Cutis Laxa, an extremely rare genetic disorder affecting the elasticity of the skin.

The condition is reported by The Sun to affect around one in four million people, with fewer than 500 people worldwide believed to have the same condition.

“THEY CALL ME GRANDMA”

As Aizza grew older, the difference in her appearance became more noticeable.

At school, that difference became a reason for cruel teasing.

In July, a group of older students reportedly laughed at her and called her “grandma.”

Aizza ran away crying.

The little girl later told her parents that other students teased her about looking like an old woman.

For her family, the bullying has been one of the most painful parts of living with a condition they never expected their daughter to face.

But Aizza herself still wants what every six-year-old wants — to play, learn, laugh and enjoy time with friends.

HER CONDITION IS MORE THAN JUST APPEARANCE

Cutis Laxa does not simply affect the way Aizza looks.

Her family says she has respiratory difficulties and suffers from dry, itchy skin. She takes daily medication to help with her breathing and requires regular care and moisturising products.

Doctors have also warned her parents that the condition can affect tissues and internal organs as she gets older.

One possible complication is pulmonary emphysema, a serious lung condition that can make breathing increasingly difficult.

For Aizza’s parents, that means the fight is not only about helping their daughter feel comfortable in her own skin.

It is about protecting her health for the years ahead.

A FAMILY STRUGGLING TO AFFORD HER CARE

Aizza’s medical needs have placed a heavy financial burden on her family.

Her mother, Anjali, is a housewife, while her father, Akhil KC, works as a security guard.

According to the family, Aizza’s treatment costs up to about 20,000 Indian rupees — roughly £160 — every month. Her father earns only around £120 a month, making the ongoing costs extremely difficult for the family to manage.

Earlier this year, Aizza also required surgery after the skin around her left eyebrow began drooping over her eye.

The procedure cost her parents almost £800.

Her doctors have warned that she may need additional surgeries as she grows.

Her parents are now trying to raise enough money to continue her treatment.

HER PARENTS HAVE ONE SIMPLE WISH

For Anjali and Akhil, the goal is not to make their daughter look “normal.”

They simply want her to have a safe and healthy life.

They want Aizza to be able to attend school, make friends and enjoy the childhood she deserves without being defined by a medical condition.

Their family has appealed for financial support as they prepare for the possibility of further treatment in the future.

HER SCHOOL IS TRYING TO HELP

There has also been a small but important change at Aizza’s school.

After her family spoke with teachers, an assembly was reportedly held to explain her condition to other students.

Her uncle, Arjun George, said the response from classmates has gradually become more understanding.

The family says students have become “softer” toward Aizza since learning more about what she is living with.

It is a reminder that sometimes understanding can change the way people see someone they once considered different.

AIZZА IS STILL JUST A LITTLE GIRL

Behind the rare diagnosis, the medical appointments and the difficult days at school is a six-year-old girl who simply loves being a child.

She dances.

She draws.

She plays.

And she continues trying to live her life despite a condition she never chose.

Her parents are now hoping that financial support can help secure the treatment she may need as she grows.

Their biggest wish is simple: that Aizza can have a long, safe and happy life — and that one day, the first thing people see when they meet her will not be her condition, but the little girl behind it.