A man who was attacked by a tiger as he slept, has finally spoken out after more than two decades of hiding ‘behind a mask’.
Hashmot Ali was left severely disfigured after being savaged by the animal while he was out fishing on a boat in the forests of Bangladesh.
The dad-of-three has since confined himself to his village because he doesn’t want to be ‘judged by others’.
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Now, the 45-year-old will make an eight-hour journey to the country’s capital of Dhaka in search of life-changing surgery.
Hashmot said:
I desperately need to get my deformed face fixed. I feel it’s very important that I get my looks back to normal.
I want to live my life with pride. I don’t want to hide behind this mask anymore.
I have done enough hiding, now I want to live with joy with my kids.
Hashmot was out working as a fisherman and while he was sleeping in a docked boat in a forest canal, the tiger attacked him, leaving him with severe facial injuries.
He’s had several surgeries since the attack took place, in an attempt to reconstruct the left side of his face, including three unsuccessful attempts at skin grafts.
He continued:
If my face is fixed somehow, I will be able to go anywhere I want without being embarrassed.
I dream and hope to mingle with people with ease and comfort.
Hashmot, who lives with his wife, two sons, and their daughter, will be meeting with doctors who’ll offer him treatment to reconstruct his face, using skin from other parts of his body.
If Hashmot decides to go ahead with the surgery, he’ll face two years worth of procedures but it could give him the life he’s been desperately yearning for.
Shakila Akter, Hashmot’s wife, said:
We would be very happy if Hashmot is cured. My whole family would love to have a healthy and normal Hashmot with us.
He won’t have to hide himself from common people.
You can see Hashmot‘s journey, along with other stories, in the first episode of the new series of Body Bizarre.
The first episode also features model Yulianna Yussef, who is covered in hundreds of birthmarks and 11-year-old Li Hang, from Harbin, China, who undergoes fire cupping, fire therapy and acupuncture to try to reduce his 140 kilogramme frame.
The inspirational bravery of Nicky Zahorcak is also shown, whose skin is unbearably thin and has to be wrapped in bandages from his toes to his thigh, his waist, arms and armpits, to prevent new wounds as well as protecting the existing ones.
Also featured in the episode is 62-year-old Carlito Conceicao, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who was left with a massive hole in his face following surgery to remove a tumour.
Now, new technology based on a 3D printing phone app, will build Carlito a new prosthetic for his face and restore his confidence.
You can watch the episode on TLC tomorrow night at 11pm.
