Baby Sharon Louis has had more than her share of problems during her barely three-year existence in this world. But thanks to medical technology and the generosity of the citys Good Samaritans, Sharon has now won her fight for survival against all odds.

Born with spinal tuberculosis, Sharon could hardly get up or move. She was severely malnourished, weighing just five kilos at the age of two and was also developmentally challenged.

"Her spine was curved at an angle of 70 degrees. It was also very risky to operate on her as she was very small -she had not grown as per her age. Giving her anaesthesia itself was a major risk," said Dr Tushar Agrawal, paediatric orthopaedist and spine surgeon, Bombay Hospital.

However, a team of doctors at the hospital including anaesthetist Dr JT Mesheri and paediatrician Dr Prem Sheth, decided to go ahead and operate on the baby. "She was in severe pain. And it was a question of saving her life," explained Dr Agrawal.

In a seven-hour-long surgery performed in November 2008, the surgeons operated on her spine, drained the abcess of tuberculosis and removed the damaged bone from the spine. The surgeons, then inserted pedicle screws on the healthy bones below and above the damaged area, in order to support the spine.

"The screws we have used on the patient are cervical spine screws, generally used in adults during surgery in the neck area. Since this deformity is rare among children, we did not have screws that could be used on someone so tiny," explained Dr Agrawal.

Earlier, surgeons would wait for the patient to grow to the age of ten or more before operating on them. Also, metal rods and wires, plaster, jackets were used, which increased the chances of failure, said the surgeon.

However, post this surgery, the curvature of baby Sharon's spine has reduced to just 15 degrees. "She will be able to walk on her own in the next six months," said the surgeon.

Steven Agnello Louis, Sharons father, can hardly believe that his baby daughter will "grow up to be normal". "My wife died during childbirth, delivering triplets. We lost one of the babies too. Sharon and her sister Cynthia have similar features, but the similarity ends there. While Cynthia is tall, strong and has already learnt to walk, Sharon is yet to stand without support," said Louis, who works as a housekeeper in Vasai and has two more children, Stella, 13 and Susan, 6."I could barely afford to make ends meet. Doctors had said that the surgery would cost over Rs 2 lakh," he recalled.

Fortunately, Sister Indira Alwares, the nurse-in-charge of the OPD at Bombay Hospital, found a sponsor in JP Morgan investment bank.

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