A boy who wasn't supposed to walk, talk or survive past his tenth year reached his 11th birthday on Bermuda Day.

Although he still faces daily challenges, young Mihdi Brock, his father Marvin, and both Oriental and Western doctors continue to persevere to better and prolong his life.

Mihdi has been suffering from a severe spinal deformity from birth.

Slowly, but surely and little by little, he is making progress as he adheres to his treatment plan of daily acupuncture procedures with Dr. Baolin Wu, several different daily physical therapy sessions and herbal medicines taken throughout the day.

Mihdi is a little Bermudian boy who has resided in California for the last number of years in order to survive.

In the beginning, as initial answers about his condition were being sought, there appeared to be little hope that Mihdi would ever walk, talk, or indeed even reach ten years of age. Social workers and speech pathologists began encouraging his family to learn sign language and to teach it to him, so that they would have some means of communication.

Doctors at both the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic and Boston Children's Hospital held out little hope of a treatment plan that would guarantee Mihdi any quality or length of life. Their only suggestion was the surgical implantation of metal rods to help straighten his spine. These procedures would have to be repeated every six months for years on end until he stopped growing. Even while offering this route, they did not hold much hope for the success of the procedures.

So, with Mihdi having already undergone heart surgery, experienced fluid on his brain, and then not being able to thrive and grow in a normal fashion, and no encouraging answers for the long term coming from Western medical professionals, his family, in particular his father Marvin Brock set out to solve the problem. That was almost a decade ago, and now after almost nine grueling years of intense treatment and work, Mihdi is alive and progressing.

Where it was thought that he would not walk, Mihdi now runs, climbs and jumps with enthusiasm. While he is not working quite up to age level in his schoolwork, he is reading and writing and taking extracurricular classes at the Sylvan Learning Center.

Oriental medical treatments and therapies are, for the most, responsible for this remarkable progress, his father believes. Oriental medicine works by making changes a little at a time through frequent treatments and the prescribed corresponding physical and herbal therapies; as the body is able to hold the many small adjustments which come from this method, it is able to heal and build towards a greater overall shift over time.

"For instance, Dr. Wu has done treatments for several years directed towards improving brain function," said Mr. Brock. "Mihdi's language skills and academic progress are now showing the results of those treatments."

But there are setbacks.

"He has had a few colds, which quickly deteriorated into pneumonia and poor development of teeth has meant several rounds of dental surgery," said his father.

"The most major setback was the stroke Mihdi suffered in October, last year. His recovery has taken several months with both Western medical measures being applied in the beginning and then Oriental treatments taking over for the long term recuperation period.

"He has since returned to school and other activities are being brought back online slowly. Once again, he is looking forward to the future with renewed effort."

Mihdi's medical condition is a mystery, which has been unfolding all of his life. At each crisis point, another factor is revealed. "Western doctors say that they haven't seen all of the conditions which Mihdi has in one child before nor do they know of a history of any child like him," explained Mr. Brock.

"They have described his condition as 'very complicated' with no known cause or connection between the various conditions. As he continues his treatments with Dr. Wu, he also periodically undergoes examinations by eminent specialists in Western medicine.

"Last month he attended the Mayo Clinic," his father said.

In order to support the extraordinary expenses involved in a treatment plan such as Mihdi's, The Mihdi Joon Fund was begun in 2000 to sustain Mihdi firstly, but also to help others learn about the benefits they might experience for their own health issues through Oriental medicine, and to assist them financially to get the treatments they need.

"Mihdi's treatment plan and the progress he has made have been carefully documented in order to make public reports," Mr. Brock said.

"The MJF has made a point of publicising these reports periodically in the local media, and it is now undertaking a programme to issue articles on Oriental medicine itself, and to publish a newsletter that will be available to the public.

"As the fund has evolved to focus more on the larger picture of the benefits of Oriental medicine this effort for Mihdi should be seen as a progressive case study of how both modalities of medicine Western and Oriental have worked together to save his life.

"There are other examples in Bermuda and around the world of the benefits of this separately and together. It is the intention of the MJF to inform Bermudians of these benefits and assist those who want to use Oriental Medicine but can afford to pay for it.

"To date, it has been the generous support of Bermudians and residents who have opened their hearts to him that has kept Mihdi alive through their financial contributions.

"Thank you — it would not have been possible without your help, and with your continued support. The Mihdi Joon Fund will carry on with this mission to share the benefits of Oriental medicine with all.

"The major and life threatening conditions Mihdi has been facing over the last 11 years have required the use of both modalities (Western and Oriental) to successfully treat him. The effort continues and the results are wonderful to see, but it continues to require vigilance, daily treatments and therapies and constant persistence."

Anyone who would like to receive more information about Oriental medicine can contact The Mihdi Joon Fund at P.O. Box 1987, Hamilton, HM HX, 441-292-3786 or info@themihdijoonfund.org. For further information, please contact: Marvin A. Brock, Sr. President of The Mihdi Joon Fund on 310-773-4245, or Cyril H. Whitter, Jr. Administrator of The Mihdi Joon Fund on 441-292-3786.