She spends her days in bed, unable to move and reliant on her mother for all her needs.

But while she leads the life of an infant, she in fact 25 years old.

Miss Kunti is suffering from a heartbreaking condition which has caused her bones to curve and shrink over the past decade.

Previously four feet, she has now shrunk to just two feet tall and is completely helpless.

A doctor who has examined her case believes she may have osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) - or brittle bone disease.

She is hoping to see doctors in bigger cities in India who could help treat her condition, allowing her to walk again.

Miss Kunti, who lives in a rural village in Chatra, in India's eastern state Jharkhand, began having trouble with weak bones at age nine.

The disease progressed until eight years ago she lost all movement and is now bed-bound.  

Her mother Devi Tilakwa, 60, who lost her husband 12 years ago, cannot stop weeping over her daughter's condition, which she says makes her look like a 'corpse'.

Ms Tilakwa said: 'She was a normal girl with healthy limbs but when she turned a teenager, her bones started weakening and she struggled to walk.

'She would limp a little but gradually she lost all strength and started shrinking.

'Within eight years of this mysterious disease, she completely lost strength and got bound to bed rest.' 

OI is caused by a genetic mutation that affects how the body produces collagen - a main component of connective tissues found throughout the body.

The lack of collagen means sufferers have curved bones that fracture easily and muscle weakness - although the disease's severity differs from person to person. 

Miss Kunti whose older siblings - two brothers and one sister - are unaffected, first began showing symptoms in 2007.

Her left leg was terribly weak and she had an operation to strengthen it.

But after a month of relief, her condition started deteriorating and she lost strength in all her limbs.

Miss Kunti said: 'I was always weak and could never run fast. I was a slow walker and as I grew up, I had to push my left leg.

'This is when my mother took me to a doctor for treatment. The bone specialist operated on my left leg but after a month, I couldn't move the leg.'

As the disease progressed, her legs began to shrink, curving up towards her body, and her arms also became S-shaped.

Eventually, she was unable to walk, and now spends her days lying in her cot with nothing to do but chat to her mother, who must care for her full-time.

Bot Miss Kunti and her mother are now in hope of a miracle that could cure the condition and allow her to walk again.

Members of her village have kindly come forward with money and have helped them fix appointments with doctors in big cities who may be able to help.

Ms Tilakwa said: 'We do not have money to get advanced medical treatment. Whatever little I had, I gave it for her first surgery but now I have no money.

'Even managing two meals a day is an uphill task for us.

'But now with the help of some villagers we are hoping to go to the city and meet some doctors. 

'We are still short of money, so let us see what God has kept in store for us.'

Dr Satyendra Singh, a civil surgeon, Chatra, who was informed about the girl's condition by villagers, believes Miss Kunti is suffering from a rare bone disease.

He said: 'This looks like a severe case of osteogenesis imperfecta.

'It is a rare congenital disease where the bones starts weakening and due to low density, they start shrinking.

'It is not a completely curable disease but with medication, she can be given some relief.'

(www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3522496/The-25-year-old-s-size-TODDLER-shrinking-4ft-2ft.html#ixzz44w1BxhV2)