Bedridden for six years, girl walks to take Class XII exam
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: 23.05.2018
For K Bhuvaneshwari, her first test as she appeared for the Class XII state board exam this year was to cover the 100m between the hall’s entrance and her desk. Arthritis had left her fingers twisted and her legs lifeless; this was a moment that had been six years in the waiting. At 23, she succeeded. And scored 71%.
Her mark wasn’t just a sign of her perseverance, it held out hope for others like her diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis — a condition that causes joint inflammation and stiffness in children aged 16 or younger. The degenerative condition can be managed medically if detected within three months of onset.
Bhuvaneshwari, from a poor family in Perungalathur, sought medical help six years late. “She was brought to us on a stretcher,” said chief orthopaedic surgeon at Parvathy Hospital, Chromepet, Dr S Muthukumar, who sponsored her treatment. It had started as a slight weakness in the left knee when she was 16.
“Within six months, I was bedridden and completely dependent on my grandmother,” said Bhuvaneshwari, whose parents abandoned her as a child. By the time she was brought to the hospital, both her knees and hips were beyond medical repair. “Eight joints were affected,” Dr Muthukumar said. The only joints that showed slower progression of the disease were the shoulder and elbows.
Following a year of medical treatment in 2015, Bhuvaneshwari told her doctors she wanted to appear for the Class X board exams in 2016.
“I didn’t want to apply under the specially-abled category or ask for extra time,” said Bhuvaneshwari, who was carried into the exam hall by her brother. She scored 79%. “A neighbour saw me struggle and offered to tutor me at home. I appeared as a private candidate,” she said.
Her tenacity surprised doctors. “She wanted to walk on her own to write her Class XII board exam,” said Dr Muthukumar. Her right knee was bent at a 60-degree angle and her left knee was twisted at 30 degrees. “She couldn’t stretch either leg. Straightening them would increase the risk of her blood vessels being cut off and her nerves stretched,” the doctor said. Her hip bones had completely eroded too. “We knew helping her walk would boost her confidence. So we decided to take a calculated risk,” he said.
The total knee replacement was done in three stages in 2017 as the patient’s bones had become extremely soft. A team of neuro and vascular surgeons, in a three-hour procedure, placed implants wherever there was erosion. Three months of intense physiotherapy followed. The result: after years of crawling, Bhuvaneshwari could finally walk, albeit with a limp. After monitoring her, doctors presented her before the media on Tuesday.
Bhuvaneshwari, who has applied for BCom in a city college, will have to undergo a second procedure for her hips soon and possibly be on lifelong medication.
“I’ve come this far with the help of so many people. I know I will be able to walk again,” she said.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai: 23.05.2018
For K Bhuvaneshwari, her first test as she appeared for the Class XII state board exam this year was to cover the 100m between the hall’s entrance and her desk. Arthritis had left her fingers twisted and her legs lifeless; this was a moment that had been six years in the waiting. At 23, she succeeded. And scored 71%.
Her mark wasn’t just a sign of her perseverance, it held out hope for others like her diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis — a condition that causes joint inflammation and stiffness in children aged 16 or younger. The degenerative condition can be managed medically if detected within three months of onset.
Bhuvaneshwari, from a poor family in Perungalathur, sought medical help six years late. “She was brought to us on a stretcher,” said chief orthopaedic surgeon at Parvathy Hospital, Chromepet, Dr S Muthukumar, who sponsored her treatment. It had started as a slight weakness in the left knee when she was 16.
“Within six months, I was bedridden and completely dependent on my grandmother,” said Bhuvaneshwari, whose parents abandoned her as a child. By the time she was brought to the hospital, both her knees and hips were beyond medical repair. “Eight joints were affected,” Dr Muthukumar said. The only joints that showed slower progression of the disease were the shoulder and elbows.
Following a year of medical treatment in 2015, Bhuvaneshwari told her doctors she wanted to appear for the Class X board exams in 2016.
“I didn’t want to apply under the specially-abled category or ask for extra time,” said Bhuvaneshwari, who was carried into the exam hall by her brother. She scored 79%. “A neighbour saw me struggle and offered to tutor me at home. I appeared as a private candidate,” she said.
Her tenacity surprised doctors. “She wanted to walk on her own to write her Class XII board exam,” said Dr Muthukumar. Her right knee was bent at a 60-degree angle and her left knee was twisted at 30 degrees. “She couldn’t stretch either leg. Straightening them would increase the risk of her blood vessels being cut off and her nerves stretched,” the doctor said. Her hip bones had completely eroded too. “We knew helping her walk would boost her confidence. So we decided to take a calculated risk,” he said.
The total knee replacement was done in three stages in 2017 as the patient’s bones had become extremely soft. A team of neuro and vascular surgeons, in a three-hour procedure, placed implants wherever there was erosion. Three months of intense physiotherapy followed. The result: after years of crawling, Bhuvaneshwari could finally walk, albeit with a limp. After monitoring her, doctors presented her before the media on Tuesday.
Bhuvaneshwari, who has applied for BCom in a city college, will have to undergo a second procedure for her hips soon and possibly be on lifelong medication.
“I’ve come this far with the help of so many people. I know I will be able to walk again,” she said.
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