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Doctors help boy escape paralysis

Akash, 11, was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, a disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system and can cause total paralysis of the body, starting from the legs.

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After being completely paralysed and on a ventilator for three months, 11-year-old Akarsh Sahu is finally able to move his hands.

Admitted in JJ hospital for the past four months, Akash has been diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), a disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system and can cause total paralysis of the body, starting from the legs.

“Antibodies that develop to combat infections act against the nerves in this disorder, leading to paralysis,” explained Dr Ashok Rathod, professor and head of paediatrics at JJ hospital.

In January, Akash, a Kalyan resident, started vomiting incessantly.

“A local doctor administered saline, after which he was briefly doing well. However, the very next day, when he woke up, his legs got all wobbly and he slipped,” said his mother, Lily.

Akash’s father Santosh, a watchman by profession, admitted his son to a hospital in Kalyan and later transferred him to Ghatkopar hospital. By this time, Akash was completely paralysed. Doctors advised that he be shifted to a “bigger” public hospital.

“He was brought to us a little late after he was paralysed. We had to put him on ventilator as he also suffered from gag paralysis. His recovery took a long time. Normally, children recover in 8-10 days,” said Dr Rathod.  Doctors in public hospitals say they get such cases at least once a month.

In March, the doctors put Akash off the ventilator. He can now move the upper part of his body, including his hands and is expected to start walking in two months’ time.

Akash, who doesn’t remember his ventilator phase, is tired of the hospital. He is looking forward to the start of his new academic year. “I will go to the sixth standard,” he informs.

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