ALL SMILES: Carmen Amro in her mother’s lap and family.

By Anand Holla
 
Barely two years old, Carmen Amro’s endearing smile speaks nothing of the hell that she has undergone until last month. Carmen was barely 10 months old when her family, based in Doha, learnt that she had bilateral cataracts, and took her to Dubai’s Moorfields Eye Hospital for treatment.
Only a few months later, her mother Iman noticed that her motor development wasn’t as expected as for a child her age – Carmen wasn’t developing as she should. What would eventually come to Carmen’s rescue is the treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), regarded as one of the world’s leading centres for treating sick children and having the widest range of specialists under one roof in the UK.
Before she would find her way there, Carmen couldn’t crawl or stand independently and her cognitive development was slow. An MRI scan revealed that the girl had an abnormally shaped vertebra at the very top of her spine pushing on the spinal cord and likely contributing to her poor motor development. Since their local hospital could not help much, the family travelled to four countries and consulted with various specialists to no avail.
As they already knew of GOSH, the Amros travelled to London and met Dr Dominic Thompson, a top neurosurgeon at GOSH. After reviewing Carmen and the MRI scan, Dr Thompson concluded that he needed to do a surgery to remove the abnormal vertebra and decompress the spinal cord.
Carmen’s father Raed said, “Speaking to Dr Thompson gave us confidence. We knew he was the right man for the job. It was scary that Carmen needed surgery, but it was a relief for us to know something was being done.” Last month, Carmen had her operation at GOSH.
Raed said, “She was meant to stay for five days but she recovered remarkably well. We could leave within four days. She’s such a fighter.” Raed was all praise for the medical care his daughter received at GOSH. “It’s not just Dominic, but the whole team of doctors and nurses. We were very calm because we knew she was in safe hands.”
Explaining Carmen’s operation, Dr Thompson said, “Her operation involved moving the muscles at the back of the neck and exposing the junction between the skull and the spine. Electrical activity in the spinal cord was monitored by the electrophysiology team in the operating theatre while a 2 cm piece of bone was drilled away from the back of the spinal cord. Carmen went on to make an excellent recovery. The hope is that her spinal cord will now be safer and allow her motor functions to improve.”
Referring to Carmen’s condition, Dr Thompson further added, “Developmental abnormalities at the top of the spine are generally quite rare but they do have the potential to cause very severe neurological damage, including paralysis, loss of breathing control and even death. Over the past 15 years we have treated many children (from as young as one year) with these rare abnormalities and now have one of the largest experiences of such conditions in the world.”
The Orthopaedics and Spinal Surgery Unit at GOSH is one of the world’s largest spinal centres. GOSH is recognised as one of the truly world-class hospitals for children. Carmen’s family will return to GOSH for check-ups in about six months. Carmen is now doing well after her treatment and her family has returned to their normal lives in Qatar.