Iraq to Bengaluru: Cerebral palsy patient walks after 14 years

Bengaluru: For 14-year-old Hameed Hyder from Iraq, it was a struggle even to do his daily chores independently as he suffered from cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused due to abnormal development of the brain. “He could not walk as his limbs were stiff and it was painful to see my son go through the pain at such an early age," said his father Hayder Hameed.

Due to lack of facilities at his hometown in Iraq, Hameed travelled to Bengaluru with the hope of finding a cure for his immobility. He also suffered from a congenital heart condition. After surgeries and intense therapy at Fortis Hospital, Hameed is able to walk now.

When he arrived in Bengaluru from Iraq, Hameed was wheelchair bound with severe disabilities in his forearm and both legs. He also suffered from a congenital heart disease. “Though Hameed came to Fortis for treatment for his immobility, it was important to first treat his heart condition which makes breathing difficult," explained Dr Joseph Xavier, consultant adult and paediatric cardiac surgeon at Fortis Hospital, who performed the surgery for the complex heart condition.

“It was also important to restore the effort tolerance of this patient by correcting the heart defect, because any patient with a physical deformity has to put in double the effort of a normal person to walk or exercise," Dr Xavier said.

After the cardiac surgery, Hameed was referred to Dr Mohan Puttaswamy, a consultant reconstructive orthopaedic surgeon at Fortis Hospital. After assessing the neurological problems and deformity issues by the team, Hameed was taken in for a grueling two-stage surgery to bring him back on his feet.

"The first stage involved a tendon transfer to correct the deformity in his right forearm and restore motor function. In the second stage, both his right and left foot deformities where corrected. He also needed surgery in his right knee to make it straight," Dr Puttaswamy said. "A month-and-a-half after the surgery and intense therapy with our special team of dedicated physical therapists, Hameed is showing remarkable improvement. He has now started walking for the first time after 14 years. His family is pleased with the outcome," Dr Puttaswamy said.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) primarily affects body movements and muscle coordination. Muscles contract too much, too little, or all at the same time. Limbs in some cases are stiff and forced into painful, awkward positions.