Vellore:
Ayesha Gope, a seven-year-old girl from Tripura who had been confined to her bed since birth due to a rare congenital medical condition, now has hope, and lots of it.
She will return to her home in Tripura's Khowai tomorrow after the successful completion of her first phase of treatment at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, for correction of her congenital skull deformity - medically termed as Meningoencephalocele - that caused her brain matter to puff out from the cavity of her skull. The disease restricts the development of the skull, and accumulates fluid in it. It affects one in every 5000 new-born babies.
A series of surgeries later, Ayesha will now have to undergo medical, nutritional and physiotherapeutic regimes at home for the next six months. Then, she has to be at the Christian Medical College again for the next round of treatment.
In October last year, Ayesha's family received more than Rs 14 lakh for her treatment after NDTV and a few local media outlets in Tripura reported her story.
Ayesha's father Dilip Gope is a marginal sewing worker in Durganagar in Tripura and earns a few thousand rupees a month. Her mother Nisha works as a domestic help.
Before her story was reported and help poured in, doctors had said she was inching towards her death while her family remained helpless because of their limited means.