Teen with his head hanging at a 180-degree angle gets life-changing surgery in India

A schoolboy who lived with his head hanging to one side is finally able to see the world 'straight' after life-changing surgery. Mahendra Ahirwar, 13, has a rare condition that made his neck muscles so weak his head hung at a 180-degree angle. His crocked neck meant Mahendra was restricted to just sitting as he was unable to stand or walk and needed help to eat and go to the toilet.  Mahendra, from Madhya Pradesh, central India, was born with a normal neck but as he grew older his bones became weak and his neck began to bend. Life was a struggle. Mahendra's parents even admit they would rather their son die than continue to suffer. Before the operation, his mum Sumitra, 36, said: 'I can't see Mahendra suffer anymore. Watching his life is devastating. He cannot do anything by himself.

'He just sits in a corner of the room all day. It's no life. I have to carry him like a baby everywhere, how will I carry him when he grows older? If doctors cannot treat my son it is better that God takes him.’
Before surgery Mahendra needed his mum to feed, bathe and dress him. His younger siblings Surendra, 11, and 14-year-old Manisha, both went to school. And his older brother Lalit, 17, tried to find work. Meanwhile he was left at home. Even his friends used to ignore him.
But when Mahendra's story made headlines around the world, spine surgeon Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, from Apollo Hospital, in Delhi, offered to help.
In the first surgery of its kind, Dr Krishnan, who spent 15 years working for the NHS in the UK, had to operate on Mahendra’s spine by opening up the front part of his neck. During surgery the front of his cervical spine was left completely exposed because of his extraordinarily thin skin. Dr Krishnan removed the disks from his neck and replace them with bone graft from his pelvis and then fit a metal plate to secure the neck straight.

Fundraiser Julie, who works as a secondary school careers co-ordinator, launched a crowd funding website after she read about Mahendra's plight and desperately wanted to help.
Now, seven months on, his neck is still straight and Mahendra’s future is looking much brighter.
'I can finally say we are a happy family now,' Mukesh said. 'Happiness has found our address after Mahendra’s surgery. I feel so blessed.'
Now Mahendra is going to the local school and is learning to write. Dr Krishnan will continue to monitor Mahendra's progress but so far he’s overjoyed with his recovery.

Source: DailyMail