off in the life of a two-year-old boy who was born with a severe congenital condition.

Not only has Mihdi Brock grown in weight and height, his vocabulary has also expanded following two sets of 40 hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments in Vancouver, Canada, and he is attending pre-school.

But, sadly, the search for a solution to Mihdi's worsening kyphoscoliosis (curvature of the spine) continues, said his mother Claire Quinlan Brock in her letter to the students.

An X-ray last week revealed his kyphoscoliosis had gotten 21 percent worse in the past 11 months.

However she stressed: "He loves to run now and almost never falls down. His condition has so improved that we are taking him to pre-school for a few hours a week so he can make new friends and continue to learn and play.'' In March, Warwick Academy students devoted one of their fund-raising Random Acts of Kindness to raise money to help Mihdi who had no medical coverage for the treatments he needed.

His parents had explored traditional, alternative and experimental treatments to help their son but faced a number of hurdles through the kyphoscoliosis and narrow heart passage he was born with.

The money raised by the students was used to provide the treatments in the hyperbaric chamber which Mihdi's parents hoped would combat his inability to talk.

There were 40 treatments in all held over two separate periods of 20 days each. Mihdi and his father Marvin spent two hours twice a day in a small pressurised chamber.

Following the first bout of treatment, Mihdi gained three pounds, nine ounces and grew three-and-a-quarter inches. After the second bout, Mihdi's vocabulary leapt from less than five words to almost 40.

Mrs. Brock told the students: "Mihdi has made this progress because of you.

Your individual and group efforts for our little boy provided funding for the treatments that have been so helpful. There are no words to tell you how proud I am of Mihdi and how proud I am of each of you.

"Mihdi and his family feel your love and it sustains us during hard times.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring for a little boy who is walking a very difficult road toward good health.'' HEALTH HTH FUND RAISER FNR