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A father living with an extremely rare condition that has caused his hands to grow to around 10 times their typical size has opened up about his relationship and the assumptions strangers repeatedly make about his girlfriend.
Mark Davidson Jacildo, from the Philippines, was born with macrodactyly, a rare condition thought to only affect approximately one in 100,000 people.
The condition causes one or more fingers or toes to grow excessively and can lead to pain, stiffness, and restricted movement. In Mark's case, his left hand weighs around 15lbs, while his right weighs approximately 4.5lbs.
Describing the sensation to TLC's Most Extreme Humans, he said: "It's like having a rock in your hands."
His condition has made everyday activities difficult since childhood. Mark remembers being in third grade and struggling with tasks other children could do easily, including tying his shoelaces.
Simple jobs such as chopping vegetables can also be challenging, while he has faced cruel comments and comparisons to the Marvel character the Incredible Hulk because of his appearance.
Despite this, Mark has built a relationship with his girlfriend Jelai, whom he met on Facebook around four years ago.
Jelai admitted to Truly that she initially wondered whether photographs of Mark had been digitally altered.
"At first I didn't think his photos were real, if it was edited or not," she said. "I found him attractive. I'm really here with him because I love him."
Mark said he appreciated the fact that Jelai never focused on his condition when they first met.
"She didn't really ask about my condition or what happened to my hands. I think that's what I like about her," he explained.
The couple regularly encounter negative comments online, including claims that Jelai is only with Mark because of his supposed wealth.
His response to that assumption was rather straightforward: "You know, in reality I don't really have that much [money]."
However, another accusation bothers him considerably more — that his condition means he cannot properly care for his daughter or contribute to his family.
"They think that I wouldn't be a great father. I'm just someone that would make life harder for Jelai because Jelai would have to focus on taking care of me," Mark said.
But he insisted the reality is very different.
"In reality, I'm the one taking care of her all the time," he said. "I think they were thinking that I have like a caregiver. Someone helps me put on my clothes, even eating."
In reality, Jelai's main role in helping him is putting his earrings in, while Mark has adapted to handling most other aspects of daily life himself.
He credits his outlook with helping him cope with his condition, saying: "I always have a positive mindset. I can't do anything about my hands. It is what it is."
Jelai said she admires the way he continues to care for their family despite the challenges he faces.
"I love how he handles himself as a person, even knowing he has that type of condition, he still manages to take care and always look after us," she claimed.
Treatment for macrodactyly can be particularly complicated. The National Library of Medicine describes surgery for the condition as among the most difficult procedures in congenital hand surgery and notes that repeated operations and the possibility of the condition returning can sometimes lead doctors to consider amputation.
However, Mark has adapted to life with his condition and doesn't see himself as fundamentally different from anyone else.
"I'm just a dad making sure that I provide for my family, going to work, hanging out with my friends. Just a normal guy," he told TLC.
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Viewers of UK mid-morning TV show This Morning were left stunned when a man who claims to have the 'world’s smallest penis' appeared on the sofa to share his deeply personal story.
Michael Phillips, 38, from North Carolina, revealed that his manhood measures just 0.38 inches — significantly below the average of 5.5 inches — and it's a reality that has impacted every aspect of his life.
Speaking candidly to hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, Michael shared that he first became aware of his condition during his teenage years but held on to hope that things would change.
"I was probably in high school, and dealing with girlfriends and stuff like that, I thought I was a late bloomer, maybe one day it would be normal size. But it never happened."
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When asked whether it was something he could talk about with his family, Michael — who also revealed he was adopted — admitted he struggled to open up about his condition.
"I kept it to myself, when I was in my teens and twenties, I was always single even though I had friends.
"They wondered why I wasn't dating and I didn't want to go through that."
For years, he kept his condition a secret, choosing to avoid the subject altogether.
As a result, no one around him suspected anything.
“I didn’t get picked on because nobody knew,” he said.
But in adulthood, the hidden burden became much harder to manage.
Michael revealed that his condition has brought unexpected daily challenges, far beyond just dating.
"I can't go out and have a one night stand but it also affects my ability to use a restroom, my confidence.
Even sitting down can be tricky with the clean up and everything. I've tried everything possible. You can be upfront, you can try to talk to somebody, sometimes you don't say nothing at all."
As Michael's story unfolded on live TV, This Morning viewers rushed to social media to share their reactions — ranging from sympathy to outright confusion.
"Suppose it’s easy to slag the bloke with the smallest penis. Must be horrible for him," one person said.
Others questioned the motivation behind going public: "Why would you go on #thismorning and tell everyone you have a micropenis?"
One viewer poked fun at part of the segment: "When Ben asked the man with the micro penis how it affects his day to day life, he replied that he can't go on one night stands!
"Is that day to day life? I must have had a very boring life if it is."
A man who has a rare health condition has revealed what it's like living with it from day to day.
The 43-year-old individual, who has remained anonymous, has been candid about the negative impacts that having a micropenis can have.
Micropenises themselves are rare, with less than one percent of men affected around the world, with Cleveland Clinic estimating this figure to be around 0.6 percent.
It is said that the average stretched penile length (SPL) for adult males is 5.25 inches, while healthcare providers will diagnose a micropenis if its length is "less than 2.5 standard deviations below the average".
Going by this, a manhood with an SPL of 2.67 inches or under in male adults will be classified as a micropenis.
While there are feelings of anxiety with having a small penis, those who have one still usually have normal sexual function.
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The man, known only as Sebastian to protect his anonymity, told Esquire: “My penis didn’t just affect my dating life, though. It affected my daily life.
“I tried to avoid using urinals. I stopped playing football because of the locker room situation after games. I always wear big hoodies or baggy shorts to hide my lack of a bulge."
He also said that on colder days, his penis can become inverted, making them the "absolute worst," revealing that he had to "warm it up" before peeing so he wouldn't "splash on myself."
Sebastian still aims to get married and settle down one day, but his fears over the size of his penis will likely stop him from realising this dream.
A delivery driver by day, he said that while he has a girlfriend, she admitted that his penis was "the smallest she'd ever seen," which is a line sure to shoot down the confidence of any man.
Sebastian also stumbled upon an eight-inch purple rabbit vibrator inside her wardrobe, which made his "heart sink".
He admitted: “It made me feel very self-conscious because it was obviously a lot bigger than me.”
The man also admitted that he didn't know he had a micropenis until he was about 12 years old and in PE class, a common occurrence with those who have the condition.
Sebastian isn't alone in opening up about the stigmatised condition, as a 26-year-old man anonymously appeared on the Other People's Lives podcast, sharing how it has affected his relationships.
He admitted that fear of judgment often caused him to end relationships prematurely, saying: “I cut it off because I was nervous and scared.” He continued by adding: “That’s how it was for a long time. Still is, to be honest.”
After years of avoiding deeper connections, he eventually opened up to a woman he said he had “proper feelings for.”
In an intimate moment, he revealed his condition to her. Although she tried to be understanding, he sensed that she was uncomfortable.
“She knew it was terrible, which she tried her hardest not to tell me,” he admitted.
“But she’s an honest person as well, and I could tell... I don’t blame a woman for thinking, ‘I don’t want this.’ I don’t blame that at all.”
He also spoke about the challenges of deciding when and how to be open about it, asking: “If you can, you should tell the woman, but when do you tell her?”
With 206 bones, at least 650 muscles, and more than 100 billion neurons inside it, the human body is probably the most complex biological specimen on this Earth. It's no surprise, then, that sometimes something goes wrong.
In fact, there's probably not a single person reading this who hasn't had a bout of the flu, or a broken bone, or one of those inexplicable headaches that just comes on out of the blue. However, for Arun Rajasingh, a man from Chennai in southern India, the defect in his body caused something a little more serious than a runny nose or a migraine.
Since birth, he has had a condition called Segmental Overgrowth Syndrome caused by a rare genetic mutation, and this is what it has done to his body:
As you can see, Rajasingh's right leg has ballooned to more than five times its natural size. It weighs in at a staggering 220lbs (just shy of 100kg), making it nearly impossible to move about.
Up until 2008, though, he managed to live a relatively normal life. He was able to walk around (albeit with difficulty), get himself a good education, and, amazingly, start his own business. He even made his way into the office every single day without assistance.
Unfortunately, when he was just 27 years old, Rajasingh's condition got so bad that he was confined to his house, and he has only deteriorated since.
According to his brother, Allwyn, "He needs constant nursing & medical care for his pain and recovery of any wounds caused to his toes due to the pressure that the weight of the right foot puts on."
However, the self-made businessman refuses to give up.
Right from the beginning, he faced dire odds, as his family were told that he probably would not survive his infancy, let alone be able to walk. However, he managed to pull through, and his mother committed herself to raising him as if he was as able-bodied as anyone else. Since then he's endured unimaginable pain and suffering, and was even encouraged to have his limb amputated in 1997 - but again, he refused to give up.
According to his brother, things started looking up for Rajasingh when "A close friend of his family doctor became aware of Arun's condition and decided to sponsor him for Medical Care at Boston Children Hospital, in the U.S."
While overseas, however, things took a turn for the worse.
"While in the U.S. Arun's mother passed away. When Arun was told of his mother's death he was griefstricken. Due to post traumatic stress and living alone in the U.S., Arun developed severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the age of 16. Arun suffered a nervous breakdown and returned to his family in India."
His OCD, along with the type 2 diabetes he has since developed as a result of his condition, make day-to-day living so much harder for Rajasingh.
At the time of writing, Rajasingh is still immobile. He only leaves his home for visits to the hospital, and can only be transported by ambulance when he does so. A gofundme has been set up to raise money for his recovery and rehabilitation.
A dad whose body is 85% covered in tattoos has opened up about the abuse he receives because of how he looks, with some going as far as to call him a "monster".
Tattoos can often be a divisive subject, especially between the different generations as generally speaking, they are becoming more acceptable amongst younger people.
That being said, the stigma around those who cover the majority of their body in permanent ink still remains, as one 51-year-old man has found out.
Richard Huff is covered in body art, with around 85% of himself being taken up with ink - and some people use this as an excuse to attack him.
Richard is married to 29-year-old Marita and the pair have seven children - which includes two from Richard's former relationship, three from Marita's past relationship, and two twins that they share together.
Richard was 17 when he got his first tattoo, and things quickly developed. Speaking to Truly, he said: "It became an addiction, I started with my legs and worked my way up because then you could not have any on your arm or anywhere that could be seen at that point."
Explaining the extent of his tattoos, Richard said: "I approximately have 85% to 90% of my body covered, I probably have over 240 tattoos. I want to be 100% covered in tattoos probably within the next four years."
The 51-year-old's nine-year-old daughter, Amyah, said that children at her school find her dad "scary" but she insists that he isn't, he just loves tattoos.
Discussing how they first met, Marita expressed that she was also a bit intimidated by Richard's appearance, but that soon vanished and their love blossomed.
"I thought I was going to get robbed. I did judge Richard based on his looks at first but as I got to know him a little bit, he is actually a big-hearted person," Marita said.
The 29-year-old is no stranger to tattoos, having quite a few herself - including having "Richard" tattooed across her neck - and she insists that she will "catch up to Richard" in the future.
Though she might have a tricky time doing that, as she said: "The face is off limits, this beautiful face can't be covered."
Sadly, online trolls target Richard for his appearance as the couple read a few of the hateful comments out. One read: "How did you choose a monster to be your child's father?"
Though Richard believes this isn't the only reason that people call the couple out, as he said: "The age gap has a lot to do with it online because Marita is 29 years old and I'm 51 so people take that into consideration why she would want to be with somebody like me."
Though he defiantly added: "If somebody can make negative comments like that, there's something wrong with them themselves that they would have to judge somebody else.
"This is what we did and we're happy. We've been together six years our kids are happy and to us, that's all that matters."
Though he said that he gets more positive reactions than negative, and even believes it has a positive impact on his kids as they "get a different perspective on life".
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