From Burn Victim to Thriving Mother: How Reconstructive Surgery at FAME Transformed a Mother's Life

Winnie* was about 15 years old when she got burned. She sustained the burn while storing firewood in their grass-thatched, mud-walled kitchen.

“I was with my cousin, and we were taking firewood to the kitchen. My cousin had already left ahead of me, and there was thick smoke [coming from the kitchen].” - Winnie

Winnie was alone in the kitchen while her cousin was out fetching another bunch of maize stalks.

“When I placed the maize stalks down, the fire broke out. I don’t know how the fire started. It caught my dress. I ran out screaming, and the fire kept burning my skirt. I got to my mother, who cut my clothes, but they had already stuck to my body. I was then rushed to the hospital.” - Winnie

Fast forward to today: Winnie is now a mother of one. She became tearful as she narrated how life has been hard since she sustained those injuries as a teenager. Her left hand was completely stuck to her left breast, and the fingers were stuck to her palm. Despite the initial procedures, Winnie was still unable to live a normal life.

“It was very difficult for my life to continue normally. I couldn’t do anything and became dependent on people. At home, I have been stigmatized because I am unable to function normally. At school, I was discriminated against by other students. I couldn’t even write well.” - Winnie

Winnie’s relief finally came when she visited FAME for antenatal clinics. One of the volunteer nurses became curious about her condition. After sharing her story, the nurse informed her about FAME’s general surgery program and shared that with surgery, her hand and arm could be reconstructed and she would be able to use them again.

“I felt so good. I was really happy and looked forward to the day.” - Winnie

The procedure was to be conducted once Winnie’s baby was born. Months later, true to the nurse's words, Winnie was admitted to FAME’s surgical ward for the procedure. FAME’s surgical team handles a total of 10-15 burn contracture cases every year.

“The main reason for reconstructive surgery is to restore patients' functions on the affected limb. For the case of Winnie, we established through examinations that her fingers were healthy. We did a partial release of all her fingers to enable her to grasp things.” - Emmanuel Manjira, FAME’s General Surgeon

“I can now stretch my hand, arm and fingers. I am able to wash my baby’s clothes. Before, I couldn’t; I would only put the clothes on a piece of wood and pour water on them. My child couldn’t wear clean clothes, but now, even when you look at him, he looks very clean and healthy.” - Winnie

“I would like to thank that nurse who noticed my condition, and also the entire FAME fraternity. May God bless them because I was unable to hold anything with my hand, but now I can hold things.” - Winnie