Dr. Ted Belanger, Spine Surgeon at Texas Back Institute has been leading a medical team to Ethiopia for the last several years. Their mission is to help people with severe spinal conditions with the latest in medical technology and techniques. Continue to follow their journey here on our blog.
Day 7
Another long surgery was planned for Alemmesh Ababaw who is an 11-year-old girl who got an L2-4 Vertebral Column Resection and a T11-Pelvis Posterior Spinal Fusion Instrumentation. While the surgery was in progress Julia, Toni and April checked on all the patients who were still recovering from surgery. We got up Alayu Letek who had ankylosing spondylitis and made him walk around upright for the first time in ten years! He had the biggest smile on his face and told us once we sat him back down that he wanted to do it again and again! We then went and visited the girls and made Bamra get up and walk only one day after surgery and she did awesomely! Little Dessie, the four-year-old, who had an L1-Corpectomy, a T11-L3 PSF1, and removal of an umbilical hernia also was walking around more today and had no complaints. Her mother asked if she could wash her hair and we all just watched her. Dessie didn’t move and was dozing off but you could tell it was a treat for her to have her hair washed and reminded us of the things we take for granted. Dessie had not complained about one thing throughout this entire process and even without pain medication. So today before we went to dinner we bought her all new clothes because we noticed when she first came into the clinic she was wearing the same thing that we had seen her in last year. We are lucky to work in the great facilities of MCM while also still providing free care to those who really need it!