Paraplegic becomes father

A paraplegic patient who had given up hope of fathering a child found the happiness of becoming a parent after doctors at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre here successfully used in vitro fertilisation technology.

Usually caused by damage to the spinal cord, paraplegic patients generally experience complete paralysis of the lower half of the body. Pradeep Singh and Sunita Singh were married for three years, but the condition of the husband made it impossible for them to have children in the normal course.

After repeated sittings and counselling sessions to help the patient, sperms were extracted and IVF technology was put to use. The couple are now parents of a healthy baby boy.