A 13 year-old boy from India is garnering lots of attention because he suffers from a rare genetic condition known as “werewolf syndrome” that results in him growing hair all over his face.

Lalit Patidar from Ratlam was born with congenital hypertrichosis, an incurable disease that results in hair growing on your face, arms, and other parts of the body. Though Lalit said that he has accepted his condition, he said that others sometimes throw rocks at him and call him a “monkey.”

Lalit has no intention of letting this condition hold him back in life, as he said he dreams of becoming a police officer and “putting all thieves and criminals in jail.”

“I was born with too much hair on my face and this makes me different,” he said. “Sometimes I wish I was like other children, but I cannot do much about it. I have got used to the way I am, and I am usually comfortable with myself.”

Lalit’s mother Parvatibai explained that they have 14 children at home in their family.

“In the first half an hour after Lalit was born, I was amazed to see his body covered in an extraordinary amount of hair,” she said. “We immediately asked the local pediatrician to examine him, who trimmed off his excess hair and said that there is no cure for this. I have five daughters and we prayed at a lot of temples to have a son. Our prayers were answered when Lalit was born. He is different but still very special for me because he was born after many special prayers.”

“When Lalit was two years old, I took him to a big hospital in Baroda where a team of doctors examined him,” said his father Bankatlal, a celery and garlic farmer. “After examining him, they told me that there is no cure for it but if they come across any cure, they will inform me.”

Though his family supports him, Lalit sometimes has trouble when he is out in public.

“Sometimes when I am out in a busy town, people come and stare at me. Some even call me monkey,” he said. “There have been times when other kids throw stones at me and call me names. But my family and friends come to my rescue and defend me during such incidents. I sometimes wish to have some surgery to get rid of excess hair because I want to be friends with everyone. They shouldn’t hesitate to play with me.”

Despite these difficulties, Lalit still has big dreams.

“I want to join the police and put all thieves and criminals in jail when I grow up,” Lalit said. “I want to earn money as an honest policeman and with that I want to look after my mum and dad. They have done a lot for me and I don’t want any complications for them when they grow old.”