Quang Ngai, Vietnam—Michael Demian, Interplast associate director of foundation and corporate relations.
Another patient that was operated on today was 15-year-old Thi. Thi has burn scars on her neck, chest, arms and hands, and suffers from contractures on her neck and upper left arm. Thi does not remember the accident that caused her injuries, but her mother, who was waiting with her by her side (see picture), told us the story. She said that when Thi was four years old, and her brother was five, the parents had to leave them at home in order to go work in the farms. Thi comes from a very poor farming family about 50 km from Quang Ngai. Thi's brother was cooking a meal for the both of them over an open fire when Thi stumbled and fell into the fire. Her brother, being only 5 years old himself, did not know what to do but cry. Luckily, the neighbors heard him and took Thi to the hospital in Quang Ngai, where she stayed for a month. Because her burns were not quickly or effectively treated, her skin formed painful lesions. The only other treatment Thi received after that point was Chinese herbal medicine.
Comments