A major procedure performed on a teenager who was diagnosed with a unique disease that caused him to live with his head hanging to one side has completely changed the course of his life. The youngster is 13 years old.
Because the muscles of Mahendra Ahirwar’s neck are so weak, his head hung at an angle of 180 degrees, and he required assistance to perform even the most fundamental of day-to-day activities.
When pictures of the effects his disability had on his life became public, they startled people all around the world.
His story moved a total stranger named Julie Jones from Liverpool to donate £12,000 to assist fund money for the operation, which ultimately ended up being a hugely successful endeavor.
His father, Mukesh, was quoted in MailOnline as saying, “It’s a miracle. He looks amazing. Both his life and his neck are perfectly straight, but they couldn’t be more different.
“He’s in a great spot right now. The thought of seeing him in that state broke my heart. We were on the verge of not being able to save him.
When his neck was bowed, he was too shy to talk, but now that it is straight, he feels like a regular person, and we can see that his confidence is rising as a result. He is really content at this time.”
“I can’t bear to watch Mahendra go through this any longer,” she stated.
“It’s heartbreaking to watch his life unfold. It is impossible for him to accomplish anything by himself.
“All day long, he does nothing but huddle in one of the room’s nooks. That’s not living!
“Everywhere I go, I have to carry him like a baby. How am I going to carry him when he’s older?” If medical professionals are unable to save my child, I believe it is for the best that God takes him.
Following the procedure, Julie Jones expressed her sympathy for the young patient by saying, “I work with children the same age as him, and I felt for this poor little boy.”
“The fact that I was able to accomplish something feels like a tremendous accomplishment.
“But it wasn’t just me; it was the surgeon who operated on Mahendra, the people who gave money to help him, and so many other people,” the speaker continued. “But I’m not the only one.”
“It’s just lovely to see him now, to see the smile on his face and to know that, even from thousands of miles away, you can make a difference.”
The events of Mahendra’s life have also been the subject of a documentary that has been broadcast on Channel 5.
Julie, who is 35 years old and used to work as a support worker, is now the careers co-ordinator at Fazakerley High School in Liverpool. She adds, “I read the article about a year ago and just felt so sad.”
“I thought of all the children I was working with and the access they had – have – to health care in this country, and how he would have been treated if it had happened here instead of here,” she said.
“A wheelchair, a neck brace, and anything else that could have been of assistance would have been made available to the family, but this young boy was given nothing.”
“It was just so terrible and upsetting.”
She claims that the operation to graft bone onto Mahendra and insert plates in order to strengthen and support his neck was conducted on Mahendra in March of this year by surgeon Rajagopalan Krishnan, who donated his time and did not charge for his services.
Mr. Krishnan explained what he did by saying, “After precautions were taken to prevent any major risks as a result of general anaesthesia, which in severe disorders of this nature can lead to complications, I went in from the left side of his neck, exposed virtually the entire cervical spine, and removed discs and cartilaginous end plates at every level to be included in the fusion. ”
The following stage was to fill up the gaps using autograft bone taken from the patient’s pelvis. After that, a lengthy plate and several screws were used to put the patient’s neck in a straight position, starting at the third cervical vertebra and ending at the first thoracic vertebra.
“You think to yourself, ‘what if it was your own child?’” It was a wonderful sensation to be aware that I had contributed.
