Mihdi Brock celebrated a very special American Thanksgiving. For the first time the young man born with progressive kyphoscoliosis — curvature of the spine — and a host of unrelated issues, can stand tall and look people in the eye.

Over the years Bermudians have sent prayers and charitable donations to help him cope with his health problem through Chinese medicine. His father, Marvin Brock, is Bermudian.

Now, after a brutal ten-hour surgery to straighten his spine, Mihdi, 16, can finally look others in the eye with confidence. He is now stands five-feet and two inches, four inches taller than previously. His spine will no longer grow as his vertebrae have been fused together, but his legs might continue to grow allowing him become taller.

He currently lives in Santa Monica, California, with his mother, Claire Quinlan.

“I wasn’t really scared before I went in,” said Mihdi in a telephone interview with The Royal Gazette. “I just wanted to get it over with. I was sure that it was going to work.”

The surgery was done at St Louis Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, by Dr Lawrence Lenky one of the world’s leaders in spinal deformity. “It was a very weighty decision to go through with the surgery,” said Mrs Quinlan.

She said for a long time she had no idea that such a surgery was even possible. Then one day a lady called her who was a friend of a friend.

“At first I didn’t believe what she was saying,” said Mrs Quinlan. “I thought it was too good to be true.”

Nevertheless, she took her son to St Louis to meet Dr Lenky.

“I wanted this man to look my son in the eye and say he could remove my son’s curve,” said Mrs Quinlan. “We went to the hospital four times. He has now done exactly what he said he was going to do. There aren’t many people who can do it but there are at least one or two who can.”

Before the surgery Mihdi’s spine had started to curve at a more rapid rate and actually curved an extra 16 degrees in the weeks before the surgery.

After the surgery Mihdi’s thoracic curve went from 166 degrees down to 40. His kyphotic curve (hump) went from 90 degrees down to ten.

“He is a lot more calm and confident now,” said Mrs Quinlan. “He looks fabulous. He is standing nice and straight and tall now. Just to be the same height as other people has done a lot for his confidence. Right now he is in the honeymoon phase of just being so grateful and happy with the outcome.”

She said the 13 years that Mihdi was treated with various forms of Chinese therapy including qi gong, had not been a waste.

“He had ten hours on the table and no complications,” she said. “I do give Dr Wu a lot of credit. I think the overall conditioning that he had helped to normalise and strengthen all of his major organs, ensured he was able to withstand the rigours of the surgery. This was a very large, serious surgery.”

Midhi and his family spent the American Thanksgiving holiday celebrating and being especially thankful.

“We want to say thank you to everyone in Bermuda who has prayed for Mihdi or donated money or sent positive thoughts,” she said. “This is the time to say a big thank you and move forward. Mihdi should be able to live a normal life.”

When asked what Mihdi was interested in as a future career, his mother said: “He has focused so much on just trying to get through day by day that he is working on that piece now. School is asking the same question. He can go to college. The educational track he is on will allow him to do that and will give him the time to catch up. There is no reason he can’t go to college and be completely independent young man.”