MOST OF HIS LIFE, Stephen Grant has endured unrelenting ridicule and teasing.

His appearance has earned him names like Big Foot and just like the mythical creature of the same nickname, many see him as a monster.

As a teenager, he discovered he had a deforming condition known as cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin and tissues beneath the skin, usually accompanied by swelling. Over the years, his condition grew worse and has reached the point where his feet have become so enlarged, they resemble those of someone suffering from "elephantitis" (proper name elephantiasis).

Blackened

The area from his knee to his toes is blackened and he has to wear custom-made pants or have them altered, usually with
an extra piece sewn on, to accommodate his engorged feet.

He has become an outcast who roams the streets day and night depending on the kindness of friends and strangers to survive.

Stephen has been homeless from the age of 19, he is now in his 40s. But the ridicule started long before that.

"I've had this [condition] from the time I was 15. Basically, I am on the streets because of my legs. My family isn't there for me. It is only through friends that I get through. Dealing with this as a teenager was very rough. I used to be pushed around, people would take up anything and hit me with it and they called me names.

Quite insulting

"That was a regular thing you know. People just insulting me, calling me this, that and the next and I couldn't get away from it. I felt disowned, left out and empty not knowing who to trust or what direction in which to go," he shared, adding:

"Up to this day certain people really harass me a lot. I don't even like to repeat some of the things they say; they are very hurtful, but I don't take them on."

However, he said not everyone was that callous.

Constant pain

As a result of the cellulitis, Stephen is always in pain and living on the streets doesn't help. He usually walks around bare-foot because he can't wear shoes; his feet are too swollen. So he has to be careful to avoid getting any cuts or punctures.

"The tissues in my feet have melted and there is only fluid. Bad circulation also caused mine to swell. My feet break down; they heal, and break down again. Because of the fluid, underneath the skin doesn't have anything to hold on to. So the
top would heal but the inside would be still raw," he told the SUNDAY SUN on Friday after having his feet dressed at the outpatient clinic of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – a routine he has to undergo three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Odd jobs

Before his feet deteriorated to this point, Stephen did odd jobs to sustain himself, but working now isn't an option. He usually sleeps in Bay Street, The City, by the London Bourne Towers play park or just about anywhere he can find.

For baths, he goes to the beach and food is supplied by friends.

He says he has tried in the past to find housing, but without success.

"Right now, I would like some place to live but I don't know how it is going to work out. I tried to get somewhere to live before, but never got help. I went to the National Assistance Board and Welfare. The last time I was at Welfare, the person
I was supposed to see turned and told me don't even come in the office, she don't want to see me in the office so I didn't go back," he said.

The last comfortable place he lived was at his grandmother's house in Wellington Street, The City, many years ago,
he says. He was put out after she died.

Unfortunately, if his feet get any worse, and they will if he doesn't find a clean, comfortable environment in which to live, he
will have to get them amputated.

"At some point it might have to be done when I am not able to walk anymore. I am not looking forward to that," he said, as he headed for his favourite spot in Bay Street.