In her home town of Nagpur in India, 16-year-old Jyoti Amge is a normal teenager in many ways: she enjoys going to school and socialising with friends, and dreams of dancing in Bollywood movies. But Jyoti is only one foot and eleven inches tall, and will never grow any taller, crippled by brittle bones. This Bodyshock special meets this extraordinary girl to discover her story and explore what her future holds.
When Jyoti's mother, Ranjana, who had four healthy children already, became pregnant, she instinctively knew that something was wrong, and even up until the full nine months, baby Jyoti could not be seen on the medical scans. Doctors were in shock when she was finally delivered at 10 months, weighing just over three pounds.
The Amge family, devout Hindus, saw Jyoti's birth and survival as a miracle that deepened their faith. Ranjana, and Jyoti's father, Kishanji, meet with senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ram Soni, who believes he can mend her fractured legs and help her walk without pain. He is also keen to be the first to diagnose Jyoti's probable condition for certain as pituitary dwarfism, where the body severely lacks the necessary growth hormones from the pituitary gland.
The only solution is a high-risk operation to realign her bones and insert metal rods to hold them in place. Jyoti's parents understand that this could change her life, but are extremely concerned about the shock to her body and how much she would suffer. The family turn to their faith to help battle their fears, taking Jyoti to a highly revered guru and also to a renowned healer, in hope of spiritual guidance and an alternative solution.
Torn between the desire to repair Jyoti's legs and also avoid further damage to her, can they move forward with the modern treatment offered by Dr Soni?
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