Teen beats TB, appears for board exams

When there is a will, there is a way. A 15-year-old Class 10 student has proved this by appearing for her board examinations despite undergoing a critical surgery to treat tuberculosis in her spine, neck and lower back.

Mahek Shah was preparing for her Class 10 examinations in mid-2015 when she suddenly started experiencing pain in her back, which gradually became severe. Mahek, who lives in Mumbai with her family, endured the pain for four months, which also affected her studies. Her family consulted many doctors and orthopaedics but their efforts were vain, with the teenager continuing to suffer from pain. The pain ultimately became so excruciating that Mahek gradually started experiencing weakness in her legs and was unable to walk. This alarmed the orthopaedic doctor she was consulting, and he suggested an MRI scan of the spine in November 2015.

The reports shocked not only Mahek but her family members too. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis in her spine, neck and lower back.

“After going through the report we immediately started off with antibiotics to curb the infection and observe the body’s reaction to the medication. Unfortunately, Mahek was not responding too well to the medicines and developed Hepatitis. Immediately we had to stop all medicines that triggered this development. As a result, her health started deteriorating and her liver got affected. It was at this time when we decided to operate on her,” said Dr Amit Jain, the spine surgeon who operated on Mahek.

The teenager was operated upon on January 2 of this year in a surgery that lasted 3.5 hours. Soon after the surgery, Mahek started preparing for her Class 10 examinations, for which she successfully appeared earlier this month.

Mahek said the surgery helped curb her pain, which aided her preparations for her exams.

“Due to the pain, I couldn’t walk without support. But now, I am much better, so I attended my school farewell. I was very concerned about my examination due to the pain,” said Mahek, who is eagerly awaiting her board exam results.