When we're in a severe amount of pain, we can sometimes find ourselves desperately clawing for a way to make it stop.
And considering that even minutes of agony can make us feel this way, it's staggering to consider what it's like to live with a debilitating ailment for years. However, that's exactly what many people in this world are forced to deal with.
After all, even when the risks involve putting life itself on the line, it's hard not to feel like you have more to gain than to lose in that position.
Fortunately, it seems that the procedure couldn't have turned out better for one man in China.
As The Daily Mail reported, however, this would change when he turned 18 in 1991.
As we can see, this was the beginning of a long, painful road that would eventually see him "folded" in half.
As The Daily Mail reported, this likely occurs due to a genetic mutation that causes bone-wearing inflammation in the spine, which then prompts the body to produce extra calcium.
Ankylosing spondylitis has also been known to affect other areas of the body, including the shoulders, hips, ribs, heels, and small joints of the hands and feet. There is no known cure.
As his condition worsened over the last five years, it would also leave him struggling to eat or drink.
Because he could neither stand up straight nor lie flat, Hua ended up depending entirely on the care of his mother.
His family didn't have the money for the operations he would need, and even once he did seek treatment, surgeons in Hunan refused to operate on him due to the high risk involved.
But even for someone of Huiren's experience, the severity of Hua's condition made for uncharted territory.
As Huiren said, "The risks involved were 20 to 30 times that of a regular spinal surgery patient, and the chances of him becoming a paraplegic were also very high."
He also noted that the procedure could kill Hua if they didn't alleviate pressure on his heart and lungs.
It's unclear how long each phase took, but hospital representatives described this procedure as the medical equivalent of climbing Mount Everest.
Yet, in China's most extreme case of spinal correction to date, the procedure was shown to be a success and Hua was pictured lying flat in a hospital bed.
According to Huiren, Hua's condition is expected to improve even further after two to three months of physical therapy and he'll be able to walk unaided.
And as Hua said, he's grateful. "There would've been no cure for me without Dr Tao. He's my saviour, and my gratitude to him is second only to my mother."
h/t: The Daily Mail
