A SEVEN-year-old boy left paralysed after a cyst destroyed everything but a “tiny thread” of his spinal cord, has stunned doctors by making a miraculous recovery.
Marko Dutschak from Murau in Central Austria, was paralysed from the chest down after undergoing surgery to remove the cyst that had been crushing spinal cord. The Chief Neurosurgeon in charge, Hans Georg Eder said “The condition had left him with a spinal cord as thin as a piece of cotton thread. There was virtually nothing left”. He added “In medical terms we don’t talk of miracles, but the boy’s recovery was not medically expected and is really a sensation. The cyst had completely surrounded the spinal cord”.
Imagine being a young boy afraid to go into a surgery, with almost no idea of what was to happen or if it was going to work out. The fear of a surgery is scary for anyone at any age, so I’m sure it was tenfold for both the boy and his parents. Then, after the surgery, to be given the stunning news that you might never walk again.
Doctors did not give up hope. After extensive therapy and physical training, Marko’s bones began to strengthen. After months of exercise, he was finally able to take small steps however he was still confined to a wheelchair much of the time. The surgeon in charge remembers checking in on Marko and one day after a session, seeing him get up freely and start walking. In shock and disbelief, he proclaimed that this was a true miracle in the making and remarked on the extraordinary healing abilities of a young body as opposed to that of an older one, “Yet, now he has learned to walk again. It illustrates to a remarkable extent the healing abilities of the very young that greatly surpass that of adults”.
Now of course, there was no one prouder of Marko and happier at this outcome than his mother. She had been told that her son may never walk again and would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. And, at such a young age with limited mobility, he would have a hard life.
She likely dreamed of the day that she would see her child walk again, and never imagined she would one day witness her dream come true. His mother, Sandra, was ecstatic the day that she came into his private hospital room and saw him up and walking around the balcony. In an interview with the Austrian Times, she recalls “This is the best Christmas present ever. We thought he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.”
I think we all can agree that this is a Christmas Miracle if there ever was one – a story filled with hope, prosperity, determination. Marko overcame the odds and instead of being paralyzed for life, managed to find the strength and courage to walk again.
It is the most wonderful time of the year. Let us celebrate life and acknowledge our accomplishments and downfalls with Marko and his story as our inspiration.
