Girl, 9, in constant pain due to mystery condition that causes her neck to bend 90 degrees

Girl, 9, in constant pain due to mystery condition that causes her neck to bend 90 degrees

Mangalore Today News Network

Oct 28, 2017: A nine-year-old girl lives in constant pain due to a rare condition that makes her neck bend to a 90-degree angle.

Afhseen Qumbar cannot keep her head upright due to the muscular disorder and it also means she cannot stand or walk properly and is restricted to a sitting position.

 

The young girl, from Mithi in Pakistan’s Singh province, even needs help to eat and use the toilet.

Her father Allah Jurio, 55, and mother Jameelan, 50, say they have consulted several doctors but have been told that treatment for such a condition is not available in Mithi.

 

Jameelan said: ‘It is devastating to see my daughter like this. I cannot see her suffer anymore. None of the doctors here could diagnose her condition.

‘They have advised us to take her to Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in Karachi. But we do not have money or resources to a bigger hospital for treatment.’

Afsheen was born a normal baby like her six other siblings but her life changed after she reached the age of eight months.

‘When she was eight months old, she fell on ground while playing outside the house and got her neck hurt.

‘We ignored her condition initially and due to lack of money we used to take her to a local faith healer but her condition never improved.

‘As she grow older, her problems became complicated. She isn’t able to keep her head upright at all and often complains of pain in the neck.

‘She cannot do anything by herself and needs help in everything. She just sits in a corner and occasionally plays with her siblings,’ her mother added.

Both Jameelan and Jurio work in their family farms and do not have a daily job.

Their eldest son Mohmad Yaqoob,25, who works at a private shop and earns less than £200 a month, runs the household affairs.

‘We have to carry her everywhere like a baby but she is nine years old, how will we carry her when she grows even older?’ her parents said.

Afsheen’s unusual condition has made her live as a pariah because no one comes close to her.

Children are scared of her and adults believe her condition is a result of sins. She doesn’t go to school and her only friends are her siblings.

Jurio said: ‘People say bad things about our daughter. They often laugh at her. It really hurts us. We cannot tolerate people’s attitudes and discrimination.

‘People avoid her sight so we keep her at home. We want her to study but no one will accept her in school.’

Doctors believe Afhseen suffers from a rare case of muscular disorder or anomaly in spine but suggest only a thorough examination can reveal the cause.

Courtesy: Metro.com