World of the Bizarre

16-year-old spends 5 years living in a pond due to painful skin condition

By T.K. Randall
August 26, 2026

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Iqbal Sheikh would seem to be like any other teenager if it weren't for a debilitating skin condition that forces him to spend most of his time submerged up to his neck in a small pond.

The condition, which has perplexed local doctors for years, is so uncomfortable that Sheikh prefers to spend all his waking hours in the water.

His story has attracted so much coverage that Indian billionaire Anant Ambani decided to step in and pay for the teen to be airlifted to Mumbai's Sir HN Reliance Hospital for further diagnosis. It is now thought that he is suffering from a rare condition known as erythromelalgia, which causes pain and a burning sensation in the skin - something typically treated with creams and tablets.

The trouble now, according to medical experts, is that submerging himself in water for so long may actually have made his condition worse, even though it provided short-term relief from the pain.

Hopefully, though, his visit to the hospital will yield a solution that will prevent him from having to spend any more of his life up to his neck in water.


Source: Mirror.co.uk

Tags: India