INNLIVE carried a report captioned ‘If Doctors Cannot Treat My Son, God Will Takes Him Back’ in these columns. Many readers responded and flooded with calls to help him for his medical needs. As an impact the genrous doctors and donors helped him to get well as a normal person. And now he is a normal human being with good health.A boy whose head hangs at a 180-degree angle is set to go under the knife thanks to an 'overwhelming' response from doctors and donations of more than eight lakhs from around the world.
Mahendra Ahirwar, 12, who suffers from a rare condition that makes his neck bend and his head hang from his body, faced a bleak future before his story was publicised last month.
His once-desperate parents, from Madhya Pradesh in central India, had admitted they would rather their son died than continue to suffer, but have now thanked doctors and members of the public for their generosity.
Mahendra, whose weak backbone means he can't stand or walk and is restricted to a sitting position, is currently at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, awaiting confirmation of life-changing surgery.
Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, a senior consultant and spinal surgeon, is hopeful he can improve Mahendra’s life. He and a team of doctors have offered the surgery at no charge to the family.
He said: ‘I’ve done a preliminary review of the child's clinical status and we now have a working diagnosis and once I have completed a few more studies, I am pretty sure that I can correct his disability by surgery in the not too distant future.
'At the very least, I am certain that I can improve his quality of life and he will be able to look at the world straight rather than upside down.
‘I just feel sad that nothing was done for this boy for 12 years of his life.'
Dr Krishnan studied in the UK and worked for the NHS for 15 years as a consultant orthopedic surgeon, before returning to India.
Mahendra's father Mukesh Ahirwar, 40, and mother Sumitra Ahirwar, 35, who both work as labourers, only noticed their son’s head was starting to hang when he was about six months old and by his third birthday, he wasn't able to keep his head upright.
Before meeting Dr Krishnan, they had consulted more than 50 doctors across India, none of whom could diagnose his condition.
Mukesh, who earns about Rs200 (£2) a day on construction sites, borrowed money from his friends and relatives to help find medical treatment for his son.
But two years ago, he decided to stop taking Mahendra, who is unable to go to school, to see any doctors.
Mahendra's overwhelmed father said: 'I cannot believe how everything has changed so quickly.
'Dr Krishnan has given me hope that my son will be fine, that his neck can be lifted and I am so happy.'
He added: 'So many doctors said treatment was impossible but here the doctors have assured me that he will be fine. I cannot thank them enough.
'I cannot wait for his surgery. I’m counting the days. I am overwhelmed with the response of doctors here.'
Although the doctors' services will be free, Mahendra's parents are faced with the costs of hospital equipment.
However, members of the public have donated more than 80 lakhs after INNLIVE reader Julie Jones from Liverpool set up a Crowdfunder page.
The 34-year-old school career coordinator, said: 'I have a son who is six and I just imagined what it might be like for him to live with a condition like that and not have the money to treat it.
'He looks so sad. His mum said he would be better off dead - it made me feel so emotional that his life is such a struggle.'
'I set up a Crowdfunder page hoping to get a few hundred pounds for him but we’ve now passed £10,000,' she added. 'I am amazed and just so happy.
'There is still time to donate so I urge everyone to visit the page. Then there will hopefully be enough to not only cover any medical costs but living too.'
Mukesh added: 'I cannot believe that people have come forward to help my son. I thank them for their donations. They are just like God to me.
'I never imagined people would donate money for his treatment, but now I am hoping that with these blessings of well-wishers my son will be cured.
'I want to see him with a straight head. I want to see him in school and live a normal life just like my other children. I never dreamt all of this would happen.’
Mukesh and Sumitra have been by Mahendra’s side in hospital while he's been undergoing tests. They will go home before returning to New Delhi in the summer for surgery.
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