The desire to be taller turned into a nightmare for a 17-year-old college student, who underwent surgery to gain a few inches but has since barely been able to walk. When 5’1” Prem Patel (17) could not take the ‘natya’ taunts any longer, he decided to get limb-lengthening surgery at Sion Hospital; however, things did not go as planned plan, as he has not been able to walk properly ever since, despite another five surgeries to fix the problem. Measuring 5’1”, Prem Patel was dubbed ‘natya’ (local slang for dwarf) by his friends.
Prem, the son of an auto rickshaw driver, coaxed his parents to take him to a doctor who could help him get taller. Prem’s mother Meena was unable to stomach his depression, and in 2013, they visited a local doctor who recommended they go to Sion Hospital for a solution. At Sion Hospital, Prem was treated by a doctor at Sion Hospital, who diagnosed him with…
