Since 1999 Mihdi's father Marvin Brock has been working tirelessly to come up with the best answer to assist Mihdi reach as healthy and as long lasting an adulthood as possible. For the last eight years that answer has been the care and treatment that Mihdi has received from his primary care physician of Dr. Baolin Wu, Master Physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Doctor of Neurophysiology, along with the daily herbal prescriptions and hours of physical therapies that Mr. Brock oversees.
At the same time over these years, they have continued to consult periodically with top-rated centers of Western medicine - the health centers associated with the medical schools of Harvard, Dartmouth College, University of British Columbia, USC, and UCLA along with Cleveland Clinic and Concord Orthopedics.
This past July saw the culmination of these searches for an answer through Western medicine when Mihdi and his father attended at what is perhaps one of the most well known medical centers in the United States, the Mayo Clinic. For one week Mihdi underwent tests, examinations, and procedures including several MRI's, and Mr. Brock consulted with a battery of physicians, the heads of several different departments working as a team including Orthopedic Surgery, Neurology, and Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine.
The specialist team agreed with past assessments that Mihdi's condition is complex and is of no known medical syndrome. They determined that the repair to Mihdi's heart is stable at the moment, the fluid on his brain does not appear to be a concern any longer, and while his blood may be prone to clotting, he shows no lasting effects of the stroke. However, the curvature of his spine has worsened over the last year from 83º to over 90º. This curvature progression is reducing the function of his internal organs, in particular his lungs. Testing revealed that his ability to exhale is less than normal for his age. He also has a reduced ability to cough out of the lower section of his lungs, thus he can't expel mucous, leaving him susceptible to pneumonia. It is thought that the curvature of his lower spine may be causing the chronic constipation and his inability to put on weight.
The primary recommendation of the Mayo Clinic team is to use extensive traction therapy to stretch his spine. The only method, however, that they can suggest for this would be through two surgeries. In the first, a halo traction device would be fitted to Mihdi's body by screws into his skull and pelvic bones. He would wear this device continuously for up to several months in an effort to straighten his spine; a metal attachment to the front of the spine might also be inserted through his abdomen during the same operation. Then a second surgery involving spinal instrumentation would remove the halo and insert metal rods, hooks, screws and wires on either side of the spine from shoulder to hip to hold the straightening in place.
