Soil search ends in heartbreak as boy, 11, loses fight for life

A Thai village has been left in mourning after an obese 11 year old boy with a bizarre craving for dirt tragically died following weeks of hospital treatment for a string of serious health issues.

Nong Phum, from Dong Bang village in Nakhon Phanom province, became the focus of local concern after relatives revealed his unusual habit of eating soil. The youngster, who weighed over 100 kilogrammes, would roam around his house chewing on chunks of earth, and would cry uncontrollably if he was stopped.

He had lived with his elderly grandparents, Winai and Thanarak, while his parents worked in Bangkok. The family, living in poverty, had been struggling to manage his mounting health problems, which included obesity, high blood pressure, an enlarged heart, pulmonary oedema and diabetes.

On April 25, relatives took Nong Phum to Na Kae Hospital before he was transferred to Sakon Nakhon Hospital for further treatment. Despite efforts by doctors, he passed away at 11pm on Thursday, May 22 after 28 days in care.

His grandparents were left devastated.

Winai said he had raised Nong Phum since birth and stayed by his side at the hospital, only returning home occasionally to sleep.

“When the doctor called that night, I rushed there immediately. But when I arrived, my grandson was already gone.”

Thanarak added that the doctors had warned her.

“They said he had many illnesses and they didn’t know how long he had left. I tried to prepare myself, but it still hurts. I cried until I had no more tears. The hospital did everything they could, but he was already in a bad way when we got him there.”

The boy’s body was transported back to Dong Bang village in the early hours by volunteers from the VR Rescue Association 2540. Funeral rites are being held at Wat Si Nakhon Raksa.

Maneewan, the assistant village headwoman and Winai’s younger sister, recalled visiting her nephew often during his illness. She had even considered bringing him home to care for him, but his mother asked her to wait until the end of the month. That chance never came.

“He had wires all over him. I wanted to bring him home, but it was too late. He passed before the month was over.”

She also shared an eerie twist, the village had recently prepared a custom coffin for a larger local who had died, and that coffin was almost reused for Nong Phum, Channel 3 Plus reported.

“Two days before Phum passed, someone else in the village who was also overweight died. The coffin maker rang to ask for the special-sized coffin we had, thinking we weren’t going to need it. I gave it to him, since Phum was still alive.

“Now the same coffin maker is rushing to build another one for Phum. We’ll have it tomorrow.”

The cremation ceremony was scheduled for yesterday, May 26. Though his struggle is over, Nong Phum’s tragic story has left a deep impression on all who knew him and a heartbreak no amount of preparation could soften.