Kumawood actor Akwasi Boateng, also known as Akrugu, has disclosed how he was ostracized by his family members, friends, and colleagues in the film industry because of his appearance.
“People used to call me Bosom Ba because of my swollen eyes and physical appearance,” Akrugu says.
The Kumawood actor said in an exclusive interview with Ambassador TV that “my father left my mother when she gave birth to me because he was terrified of my physical condition.”
“I must admit that I was ugly when I joined Kumawood Movie Industry some years ago but now I’m not ugly because I have changed totally though my eyes are still big” Akrugu told host Osei Kwadwo.
“At first I was shy and ashamed to mingle with others because they used to tease me with my condition. Even now, people in the industry speak ill about me when they meet me” he added.
“Ambassador, since I was born till now I don’t know my father because he shirked his responsibilities due to my condition but my grandmother and my mother stood by me” he revealed.
He added “Those who rejected me started coming to me when I started shooting movies because of the little fame I got”
“Kumawood Movie Industry has helped me in so many ways but it pains me that I didn’t get money since I joined the industry. I know my time will surely come” he explained.
“When I sleep I can’t close all my eyes because of how big it is and also I can’t interlock my fingers but I’m proud of how God created me”.
“Ambassador, even if I get money like Dangote, Despite, Dr Kwaku Oteng, and others, I will never undergo surgery to change my looks. I will use the money for surgery to feed the poor and help the needy”, he vowed.
Akrugu’s foreign born baby had a Crouzon’s disease
This little fighter has Crouzon syndrome, also known as Crouzon’s disease.
In healthy children, the cranial sutures have not yet ossified after birth. The brain still needs a lot of space to grow.
It’s different with Crouzon syndrome. In some cases, the cranial sutures are even closed before birth.
So, the skullcap limits the brain in growth. The skullcap must expand elsewhere. This happens on the cranial sutures, which have not yet ossified. The consequence is an unusual growth of the head and, as a result, deformity.
The consequences are often protruding eyes, strabismus and hearing impairment, as the external auditory canal may be closed. With increasing age, the danger of too high intracranial pressure also becomes greater. Crouzon syndrome must be treated at an early stage .
Pictures of a 6-year-old boy with untreated Crouzon syndrome.
On average, a person with Crouzon syndrome has to undergo 2-4 operations on the cranial cover during his life. As a result, complications such as paralysis or seizures, which arise due to increased intracranial pressure, can be prevented.
In addition, existing deformations are corrected.
I think all this is pretty amazing. Due to timely operations, the life expectancy of a person with Crouzon syndrome is equal to the average.
Modern medicine, in this case the specialty of surgery, can give a chance to people with really serious health problems.
We owe this entirely to the scientific method. Not homeopathy. Not to the medical practitioners. Not the other kind of charlatanism. Only science.