Special needs teenager Mihdi Brock is doing well after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.The 16-year-old was born with progressive kyphoscoliosis — curvature of the spine — and a host of unrelated issues.Doctors did not expect him to live beyond ten and refused to operate on him in his earlier years as it was feared the surgery would do more harm than good.A treatment regime which included traditional eastern medicine, has been credited with extending the Bermudian teenager’s life expectancy to between 55 and 70 years of age.Last Thursday’s surgery ends another chapter in a long journey for Mihdi and his parents — Marvin Brock and Claire Quinlan — who are divorced.Ms Quinlan was awarded sole legal and physical custody of the teenager in February and decided, against Mr Brock’s wishes, to go ahead with the surgery.The surgery was originally scheduled for May 9 but Ms Quinlan postponed it to last Thursday after she discovered Lawrence Lenke, a well regarded St Louis, Missouri, surgeon who specialises in especially difficult cases.Mihdi’s spinal curve was expected to be reduced from 140 degrees to 50 degrees if the surgery is successful, making him six inches taller.Ms Quinlan would only report that the ten-hour procedure was successful when The Royal Gazette contacted her over the weekend.“Mihdi underwent a successful ten-hour procedure with no complications August 29.“He is healing quickly — both sitting and standing the following day!” she said in an e-mail.“Please thank Bermuda for prayers on Mihdi’s behalf.”Mr Brock led a years-long campaign to raise funds for his son’s care and treatment.He was unable to work because Mihdi needed constant care and attention.Hundreds of individuals and dozens of organisations answered the call donating about $700,000 from 2000 until around 2011.After hearing about the operation, Mr Brock said: “I’m ecstatic that he’s alive. He’s survived the surgery against the odds.”But he added that his son had “multiple unrelated medical conditions that are perilous to him”.“He’s still got a heck of a fight and he’s gone through an enormous surgery.”