AT 19 MONTHS Lucy Norris likes to play with her teddies and toys just like any other toddler.

But unlike other children her age she weighs three-and-a-half stone - more than twice the average weight.

Her bubbly personality cannot mask the fact that she suffers from a rare type of thyroid problem that causes weight to increase dramatically. She is believed to be one of only a handful of people who has the condition.

But when mum Fran takes her little girl for a walk it sparks a string of nasty comments.

She is now pleading to the public to stop making the comments about her little girl.

The heartbroken mother-of-two has been forced to give up shopping because of the remarks made by passers-by about the size her toddler. "I have been close to tears several times and have had to come home without finishing what I need to do," she said.

"It breaks my heart when people point the finger. I have heard people say "Did you see the size of that baby She was so huge."

"Since Lucy's illness I have discovered it is a cruel world. People make blatant comments - a lot of it is ignorance but they are still cruel.

"Some people come up to me and say I have overfed her because she is so chubby.''

Lucy, who has to wear clothes normally worn by six to eight-year-olds, was first diagnosed with the condition called pseudo-hypopara thyroidism last October after she started putting on 14 ounces a week.

The illness, which means fats within her body can't be broken down, affects her development and bone growth and as a result she cannot walk yet.

She has lumps under her skin because her body can not break down calcium.

Doctors have also warned the family from Mayfield Road in Swaythling that Lucy's vital organs could shut down because of her weight.

Mrs Norris, who has another daughter, Katie, nine, said: "I feel like I have a time bomb in front of me.

"She is a very happy child and very content and that is why it hurts more because we know she is not in any pain.

"I shop in Portswood once a week and I walk because it is difficult to hold Lucy in one hand and try and fold the buggie on the bus with the other.''

Mrs Norris and her husband Chris have scoured the Internet to find out more about the disease but without success.

Dr Bashir Youssef, a general paediatrician at Southampton's Princess Anne Hospital, said: "It is a rare condition but we know it is not related to overfeeding.

"Obesity is, however, a well-known feature of the illness along with reduced growth and developmental delays which affect IQ.

"Unfortunately, the child does not grow out of it - but you can give certain medicines to try to regulate the child's response to the condition, and help the child grow."

A spokeswoman for Southampton support group Parentline said: "Sadly, the attitudes shown towards this mother and child are often shown towards families where children have illnesses or disabilities.

"This can be an unkind world sometimes. "These people who make hurtful comments in the street are not intelligent enough to realise that the child has a medical condition.

"We would urge them to have some common decency and compassion for other people."

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