Doctors at the Government General Hospital performed a rare ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgery on the 19-year-old Anjali Devi.

The doctors said that the surgical operation not only helped Anjali breathe easily, but also saved her marriage.

When Anjali Devi got married to Sivakumar, a cable operator in Thirukovilur, she was just 17 years old.

However, she did not have a happy married life.

A year and a half ago, she swallowed pesticide after a clash with her husband over food.

Later, she was admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry in an unconscious stage. She had to be on a ventilator for sometime before she could get well.

Anjali Devi said, "My husband and mother-in-law both were in the house. They took me to JIPMER, Puducherry, where I stayed for nearly 15 days."

She was put on a ventilator. Later, she was discharged with the tube in her neck. Due to incubation, her windpipe had narrowed considerably and she was unable to breath and speak properly.

She consulted various doctors and went back to JIPMER eight times to get her windpipe dilated. The tube in her neck though, could not be removed.

All this resulted in never-ending problems in her married life and her husband decided to leave her.

"He left me because I was walking around with a hole in my neck. I regretted everything I did but was helpless," she said.

Three months back, she approached to the GGH.

Prof K Balakumar, head of the ENT department, said, "When we investigated, we found that around 4 cm of her windpipe had narrowed considerably. A surgery in this region is tricky as it is very close to the voice box and can damage the vocal chords leading to a permanent speech disability."

So the doctors undertook the chancy surgical operation in which they removed the damaged portion of her windpipe and adjust the rest of it to allow her to speak and breathe normally.

The surgery was a success.

"At a private hospital, the surgery would have cost a minimum of Rs 3 lakh," said Dr F Antony.

Since Anjali has become normal again, her husband has decided to give his marriage another shot.

"We are together now," said Anjali, "Thanks to the doctors here."