As a six-year-old, Mayank Tiwari suddenly started having difficulty in walking way back in 2014. His condition soon deteriorated and he was confined to a wheelchair. Cut to 2018, a smiling Mayank was back on his feet. His parents could not hold their tears. The turnaround came through stem cell therapy. Mayank, now 10, underwent surgery at Neurogen Hospital in Mumbai.
Dr Richa Bansod, who treated Mayank, told reporters on Wednesday at Lake View Hotel that the boy was suffering from a debilitating muscular dystrophy. She said that muscular dystrophy is a rare disease that afflicts one in 2,000 children. It is a genetic but curable disease. Mayank’s father Dev Narayan Tiwari is temple priest in Gundari village of Narsinghpur district. His son’s sudden loss of mobility came as a jolt to him. He took his son to hospitals at Jabalpur and Nagpur but to no avail.
Tiwari said, “First surgery cost Rs 2.5 lakh. The amount was big. So I knocked at the doors of the chief minister, MLA and MP but they cited lack of fund. I arranged Rs 2 lakh from my relatives and Rs 5 lakhs from the jospital.” Mayank was to undergo another surgery in October 29 this year. In the meantime, he kept on surfing internet looking for a solution to Mayank’s problems. One day, he chanced upon Neurogen Hospital in a YouTube video.
Dr Bansod said that stem cell therapy can cure many nervous disorders, including paralysis, brain stroke, autism, cerebral palsy and problems born out of spinal or head injuries. She said that after surgery, the patient has to undergo physiotherapy. “Recuperation takes more time if patient skips prescribed exercises. We told Mayank’s mother about exercises and she ensured that he did it,” she said. “I am happy. I had lost all hope of watching my son walk again.” said Baby Tiwari, mother of Mayank.
Mayank who studies in class 4 said, “ I love to play. I want to be doctor.” Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute will organise a free workshop-cum-OPD consultation camp on October 21 in Bhopal for all neurological disorders. This camp is being organised to facilitate patients.
