The word 'amputation' spells terror even amongst the bravest of humans, and when a child less than five years of age had to face a similar situation wherein one of it's limbs required amputation as it had developed bone cancer, one can only guess the plight of the child's parents. They were crestfallen. It is only the medical travel they undertook to India to treat their daughter's bone cancer brought normalcy and order back to their distraught life.
Bone cancer can strike at any moment and that too when you are least expecting it. Such was the situation a child less five years of age too was faced with. The child had just learnt to stand on it's legs and take small baby steps when she developed pain on her thigh; she was all but two and half years of age. Her parents noticed a lump on her thighs. They took her to numerous hospitals in their country, but none of the doctors they visited were able to give them an exact diagnosis of the child's lump in the thigh.
Of the numerous doctors they visited in their country only one doctor was able to conduct a proper diagnosis and conclude that the child had developed bone cancer. The child was immediately referred to a cancer hospital in their country. The doctors at the cancer hospital suggested to the parents that the only way the child could be rid of the bone cancer was by amputation of the affected limb. The parents were heartbroken since it was only a few days before which their child had made it's first attempt to walk. Amputation of it's limb was going to steal the gift of walking 'naturally' away from the child, forever. It was during the month of May 2012 that the parents were faced with the question of whether to, or not to amputate the stricken limb. They asked for some time to think over it and take a decision.
During the month of June, 2012 the parents came to know of a cancer camp happening in their city. The cancer camp had numerous international oncologists visiting the country. They visited the cancer camp with their child's case and sought a second opinion from the visiting oncologists. One of the visiting orthopedic oncologist from India was able to shed some light on the matter and broke to them a gladdening news that the bone cancer could be tackled minus limb amputation. The doctor rested his hopes on treating the bone cancer through a combination of chemotherapy and surgery.
The child started off with the chemotherapy sessions during the month of July, 2012 itself. The results post the chemotherapy were posted to the oncologist in India. The latest of the medical reports of the child were received by the orthopedic oncologist on the 24th of July, 2012. He studied the reports and suggested that the child should undergo surgery. The surgery he specified was extracorporeal radiotherapy or ECRT. The child's parent were also advised that the stay at the hospital for the treatment would extend up to 10 days. Thereafter they may have to remain in India and outside the hospital for another 14 days.
Our hospital took the economical status of the child's parents into account; they were economically backward, and offered them a rebate of 30 percentage on the entire treatment plan and stay. The hospital also went forward and helped the child's parents with letters and other paperwork which helped them solicit the necessary funds for the surgery through donations and other fund raising campaigns in their country.
The child traveled to India along with her father on the 26th of October, 2012. The hospital had made the necessary arrangements to pick the child and her father from the airport. The hospital had also organized a translator for the convenience of the child's father. The child's father could speak in only his native language and none other.
Once the child arrived at our hospital, we arranged for their stay outside the hospital in our guesthouse and made them feel comfortable. We then proceeded to briefly explain to them the exact course of treatment and the rest of the things that mattered.
The child was posted for an evaluation on the 26th and 27th of October, 2012. After the evaluation the child was admitted to the hospital on the 28th of October, 2012. The child was posted for surgery on the 29th of October, 2012. The orthopedic oncologist and his team conducted the extracorporeal radiotherapy, or ECRT on the child in a very successful way.
The child recovered and was discharged from the hospital on the 5th of November, 2012. The child was able to fly back to its native country on the 7th of November, 2012.
The child was able to walk on the 4th day without any pain. She was the bravest child I ever saw, she never cried while dressing ,wherein the grown-ups scream,in a similar situation.
The best thing about the baby was she was always smiling, and post the operation she went back to her home smiling .
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