If he did not keep his hand elevated, he suffered immense pain.
Now, doctors at Lenox Hill Hospital are giving Rohit Bachani a chance to live a normal life.
The bright-eyed 10-year-old from Pakistan is heading into his fifth an final surgery to shrink a mass in his hand - a bundle of abnormal blood vessels.
It's the result of a rare congenital condition. Rohit's situation was so extensive, he couldn't let his arm hang by his side.
"He walked around his entire life with his hand above his head because the pain was excruciating otherwise," Dr. Robert Rosen said.
What had been a small lump in his hand at birth, ballooned into a debilitating ball of tissue, growing disproportionately over the years, and sending his family searching for answers.
His parents were told the only option was amputate his arm just above his elbow, but everyone at Lenox Hill thought otherwise and agreed to treat Rohit at no cost.
We watched as Dr. Rosen injected a special foam into Rohit's hand that will eventually prompt the body to shrink the mass. On Thursday, a team will then surgically remove the tissue.
There's a possibly it will come back, but unlikely it will ever get as large again.
For Dr. Rosen, this case was a special one.
"As you can imagine the cruelty with children and making fun, but he's such a smart charming little boy. He's one of the most popular kids in class even with this striking abnormality," he said.
And one of the luckiest to have crossed paths with Dr. Rosen -- a man who Rohit's father calls their angel.
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