Knee shattered and leg declared lost,jawan walks again

Today,the father of three is walking on crutches,and training to do without them soon.

“This is my reply to that bullet,” says Dr R Shekhar,senior divisional medical officer and the surgeon in charge of the vascular surgical unit at the hospital. “On November 27,an angiography revealed no blood flow in the leg. Amputation seemed the only way out,” says the surgeon who was conferred an award by the Railway Ministry this year for his initiative in setting up the vascular surgery department,a first for the railways.

“But since the patient was young,I tried to salvage the leg.”

Khan’s damaged vein was replaced by veins grafted from other parts of his body. “The damaged artery was replaced by an artificial artery,” adds Dr Shekhar. Usually,such surgeries need to be done within six hours to prevent damage to muscle and nerves.

Earlier,Dr A K Mehta,senior divisional medical officer of the orthopaedic department,decided to fuse the fragmented knee as it had to be stabled for the vascular operation. With the knee fused,Khan cannot yet bend his leg until he undergoes a knee replacement surgery.

“That night,I first thought it was fireworks. The next moment,I saw people falling on the floor. I was hit in the leg while trying to rescue people,” Khan recollects.

Wife Shaqila Khan is overwhelmed at seeing Khan walk again. “We felt proud and thrilled when people came to meet my husband and called him a hero. Senior officials made several visits to see his progress. He is now in a position to walk. This is a big victory for us,” she says.