A teenager with a spinal condition that twisted his body is one step closer to standing after multiple high-risk surgeries.
Nineteen-year-old Jiang Yanchen, from the Shandong province in China, has ankylosing spondylitis - an inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine and large joints.
For Jiang, the condition is so severe he's been dubbed the "folded boy" as his spine curved backwards to the point his head and bottom were inches apart.
He's suffered back pain, stiffness and swelling since he was diagnosed in primary school.
Jiang underwent two high-risk surgeries in May and August 2023 to try straighten out his posture.
The surgeries left him in critical condition, South China Morning Post reported, however his condition is seeing life-changing results.
"We broke his cervical spine apart, stretched it and then stabilised it with a frame. The frame remained on his body during the process," Peking University Hospital's chief physician at the Department of Orthopaedics Wang Yu said, describing the first procedure.
"The next stage is to loosen the frame and straighten the spine section by section.
"Locking it in, loosening, locking it in, loosening, we keep repeating these steps."
Doctors feared he may be left with nerve injury following the operation, as he struggled with moving his limbs.
Dr Yu explained how nerves in Jiang's spine had difficulty catching up to the change in his spine shape post-operation. His nerves had adapted to the folded shape of his body.
Describing the experience himself, Jiang said: "Imagine only your eyes and mouth could move, but you cannot speak… When I saw the nurse pass by, I wanted to shout but no sound could be made. They eventually came in after I desperately raised my left hand to hit the edge of the bed."
Jiang was looked after in the intensive care unit after the operation.
"My child has suffered a lot," Jiang's mum Yu Meiying told media, according to a video by the South China Morning Post. She also described him waking up in intense pain following surgery.
Doctors expected the second operation to be simpler than the first - but added that it presented its own set of risks, including putting Jiang in danger of heart failure.
Despite the risks, Jiang made it through and his spine is now folded at a 90-degree position rather than 180 degrees.
This means he's now able to sit in a chair and have a clear view of people in his line of sight.
"I could stand for over 10 minutes on my first attempt," Jiang said. "I could stand for more than an hour on the second day."
He celebrated his 19th birthday in hospital before being discharged.
But despite the pain caused by his condition, Jiang has always remained positive.
He kept up with school and was admitted to a university in his hometown after taking final exams lying on a yoga mat.
"If I give up on myself, I'll be a useless person even after I get cured… Then what's the point of getting treated?"
The process of straightening out his spine is expected to continue this year.
