A BRAVE 18-month-old girl whose head swelled to THREE times its size battles for her life as doctors desperately try to save her. Tiny Roona Begum was rushed to hospital after a condition called Hydrocephalus caused skull to fill with fluid and balloon to a staggering 94 centimetres. At it's worst it weighed 7 kilos - half the little girl's weight - and the tot's life was in serious danger. To poor to afford treatment, her devastated parents Abdul Rehman and Fatima Khatoon pleaded for help. And after her pictures were sent across the world caring medics at private hospital the Fortis Healthcare Group, in New Delhi, agreed to operate on Roona for free. Now they have managed to slowly reduce the size of the toddler's head by almost 11 cm after a week of painstaking draining the cerebrospinal fluid from her skull. And it is hoped the treatment has given her a real chance of survival. Dr Sandeep Vaishya, Director of Neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, who is treating Roona, said: "No one has dealt with such a large head before, this is uncharted territory for us, so we have to be careful and innovative. "In the last six days, due to the draining of the fluid, the head had reduced from 94 to 89 cm. “Because her bones are more flexible now, which was not the case earlier, we have put pressure bandages to remodel her skull bones. We have now managed to bring the size down to 83 cm." Roona, from Agartala, India, was left unable to sit upright, crawl or close her eyes and was extremely susceptible to infections. If not treated, it could have resulted in mental disability and death. On Thursday 18 April, she was flown to New Delhi along with her parents to be examined by doctors. Speaking before her treatment began last Friday (April 19), Dr Vaishya told reporters: "I was surprised when I saw the baby for the first time. Even though I had seen her pictures, I wasn’t expecting the head to be so big. "Her head measures 94 cm, in similar cases the average measurement is around 50-60 cm. "Her head is swollen to an extent that she is not able to close her eyes completely. We have an opthamologist looking at her eyes, so that there are no complications there. "We are hopeful that she will make a complete recovery. The challenge is to drain her brain fluid in a gradual manner, so as the brain gets used to it." Roona, known as Jannat, which means Heaven, has more agonising treatment ahead of her. But her parents are hopeful that they will be able to take her home in the near future. Mum Fatima said: “I can’t wait to take my Jannat back home. Once she is home, her grandparents will accept her and our family will be complete.". The huge size of her head means that the next stages of treatment will come with complications. In normal cases, the fluid is usually transferred to the abdomen using a internal tube called a shunt, though due to the size of her Roona’s head, it is unsure if a shunt can be used. “Since she is very small, there is no way her body can absorb all the fluid" said Dr Vaishya. "We will be tightening the bandages until size is stable enough for a surgery so we can put in a shunt." Once the remaining fluid is drained, Dr Vaishya and his team will explore the possibility of reconstructing her skull through plastic surgery.

AN INSPIRATIONAL student with no hands and one leg amazes teachers - by cycling to school while balancing his packed lunch. Imam Syafii refuses special treatment at the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School in Kediri, East Java. The 23-year-old - who said he hopped everywhere before getting a bicycle - has even turned down prosthetic limbs. He said: "I do not want to be a beggar because disabled people like me usually find it easier to beg." Mr Syafii was born with a stump above his left elbow and his right-hand was underdeveloped like a 'crab claw'. His right leg is fully functioning, while his left leg grew to just below his groin. The Indonesian arrived at the school in late 2008, determined to become an Islamic teacher. Everyday he rides to classes on his bicycle but does not pedal - instead pushing it along with one foot. Before learning to ride he said he would hop. And while his day may be full of challenges, there is one goal driving him forward - to be 'useful' to his hometown community and 'make his parents proud'.

THE 18-month-old child whose story touched the world after she was discovered with her head swollen three times its normal size is on the verge of vital surgery. Roona Begum has received free help from the Fortis Foundation in a bid to save her life. Doctors have told how the tot, who suffers from a severe case of Hydrocephalus, also known as water on the brain, is lucky to be alive, with most sufferers not surviving beyond 12 months old. But thanks to the intervention of doctors at India's largest private hospital in Gurgoan, near Delhi, she is set to have the excess fluid drained in a procedure taking place tomorrow (FRIDAY). The procedure is only possible after Roona and her poverty-stricken family, from the rural village of Agartala, were flown free of charge to the hospital by the Fortis Foundation. Doctors hope the exploratory procedure will relieve the pressure and allow them to properly examine Roona before deciding on further treatment. Dr Sandeep Vaishya, Director of Neurosurgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, who is treating Roona, said: "I was surprised when I saw the baby for the first time. Even though I had seen her pictures, I wasn’t expecting the head to be so big. "Her head measures 94 cm, in similar cases the average measurement is around 50-60 cm. "Her head is swollen to an extent that she is not able to close her eyes completely. We have an opthamologist looking at her eyes, so that there are no complications there. "We are hopeful that she will make a complete recovery. The challenge is to drain her brain fluid in a gradual manner, so as the brain gets used to it." Today the tot was allowed to rest in her state-of-the-art hotel room, being paid for by the foundation, as she received round-the-clock care. Roona's mother Fatima, 24, told Barcroft Media from her daughter's bedside: "When she was born, I wondered why do children of poor people like us suffer this fate. "Why is fate cruel to us? Why do rich people who can afford to cure their kids never get diseases like this? "Before she was born, I went to a doctor twice. Once when I was one month pregnant and than when I was six months pregnant. We did not have money to go more often. "She was born through a caesarian operation and the doctor told us we had to take her out of Agartala to get her treated. But we did not have any money at all." But the devastated mother revealed some family members had been less than supportive. Fatima added: "When she is better, I hope my in-laws accept her. And she can have the love she deserves from her grandparents." Roona's father Abdul, 19, said: "Even though our neighbours come and play with her, my parents have refused to acknowledge her existence, since she was born." Abdul, who earns just Rs. 150 (£1.82) as a labourer thanked those who had helped Roona, saying: "I cannot find work every day. Its hard enough to earn for food, so her treatment would have been impossible had it not been for the press and hospital people who have helped us.”

AN acid attack victim who rose to fame by winning the jackpot on India's biggest quiz show is refusing to give up on justice - despite her attackers remaining free. Sonali Mukherjee was left completely disfigured when a spurned suitor broke into her home and doused her in Tezaab, a chemical normally used to clean rusted tools. The harrowing ordeal covered her in 70 per cent burns and left her partially blind and deaf. And while many could be forgiven for thinking her million rupee prize on Who Wants to be a Millionaire was the perfect treatment - she insists only justice will give her closure. Currently her tormentors are still free to roam the streets having served just four months in prison. They had initially been sentenced by a local court to nine years - but were freed on appeal, where they remain today. Yet, the courageous 28-year-old is fighting back spurred on by her new found fame and fortune, determined to spearhead a major change in women's rights. Sonali, who was 17 when the horrifying incident took place, said: "I used to be a beautiful, confident woman. But my beauty became my curse. "For three years after the attack, I was in shock and unable to do anything. I even applied for Euthanasia but when that was refused I decided to fight back. "People like these three men, who can spoil someone's life like this in a fraction of a second should be brought to justice. "These incidents [of acid attacks] will stop only when people involved are given hard punishments according to the crime they have committed. "I have seen them once in the court but my father who follows my case is taunted by them saying to us, 'Nothing will come out of this court case. Make peace with us.' "But I will never give up until they are brought to justice. "Female society can only be empowered once a woman herself raises her voice towards such ill doings in society. That is what I want to do." Sonali's story is one similar to that faced by many women in India, said to be the fourth most dangerous country for females to live, according to a Thomas Reuters Foundation study. Acid sales are not regulated, with the corrosive product widely available for purchase for less than Rs. 20 (24p) - but the devastating effects are plain to see. Following the attack, Sonali struggled to cope, her mother fell into depression and the family left their hometown of Dhanbad for the capital New Delhi. There she underwent surgery 22 times to help ease the pain dealt to her in the 2003 attack. And while her fight up until the Rs 25 lakhs - the equivalent of almost £30,000 - win on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? - known as Kaun Banega Crorepati in India - had been against her physical scars, she is now fighting a much bigger battle. Sonali added: "I'm appealing for stringent punishment against the accused trio, such incidents should stop and they will stop only when people involved in such cases are given hard punishments. "They need to be punished according to the crime that they’ve done. "People like these who can spoil anyone's life like this in a fraction of a second should be brought to justice. They too should get the same treatment. "I am lucky that I survived and wish the same does not happen to any other girl. "According to the doctors my condition was so dire I shouldn't have survived. "But now it is time to change the 50-year-old law so that such cases do not ever occur in the future." With her winnings Sonali hopes to return her family's life back to normal. She said: "Firstly I will get my treatment done, but my family is in a very dire state. "They have sold off everything for my treatment and neither do we have a job to earn anything. "My mother has been in a very bad mental state since my attack, my grandfather suffered a heart attack and we do not have a house of our own. "So my main motive with the money is to get my treatment done so that I can at least start a normal life, and take my family and myself out of this trauma. They have sacrificed and faced a lot for me."