A rare spinal cord deformation forced Savya Saman Ali, 11, a resident of Kurdistan, Iraq, to limp for most of her life. She is finally able to walk properly now, after receiving medical help in Mumbai.

Savya was a kid when her mother noticed that she was limping. Her right leg appeared shorter than the left one, which was initially thought to be the reason for her difficulty while walking. Slowly, she developed scoliosis. She underwent several treatments under paediatricians back home in Kurdistan, but nothing helped. Later, a local neurosurgeon detected the spinal issue through X-rays and spinal MRI. An abnormal block of bone was observed in the centre of her spine, that was causing splitting and tethering of the spinal cord, which led to the development of scoliosis and gait difficulties in Savya.