Guedalia Sawadogo, 2,
is Expected to Make a Full Recovery and Use her Hand Normally
 |
| Assembled a day after
Guedalia Sawadogo’s arrival to the United States, and before her surgery, from
left: Guedalia’s aunt and uncle Esther and Georges Sawadogo; hand therapist
Evan Ludin; Drs. Alexander Dagum and Michael Weisburger; Fran and Howard
Makofsky, who Guedalia and her family are staying with until her return to West
Africa. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y.,
December 5, 2011 – Guedalia
Sawadogo, a 2-year-old girl from West Africa, enjoys drawing with a pen and
playing with figurines shaped as people or animals. During a hand therapy
session at Stony Brook University Hospital she could only use her left hand for
those activities, as her recent surgically repaired right hand went through the
rigors of adjusting to a splint. But soon with more healing Guedalia will have
the dexterity of normal children to play and learn. On November 14, Alexander
Dagum, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Orthopaedics, and Chief, Division of Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, performed surgery on
Guedalia’s right hand to correct contractures caused by scar tissue healing
after a serious burn injury.
When Guedalia was
nine months old she burned her right hand in a pot of boiling oil used for
cooking, an accident all too common in children from developing countries.
Without access to specialized care for trauma where she lives in the city of
Kaya in West Africa, Guadalia did not receive surgical grafting to treat her
wounds from the third degree burns. Over time she developed a significant
contracture of her right thumb, index finger and hand.
“The hand situation
had been a debilitating condition for Guedalia, and I wanted to see if we could
bring her to Long Island and have the surgery,” says Dr. Howard Makofsky, of
Mastic Beach, a Long Island physical therapist who runs an outreach
organization called Kaya’s
Kids, which helps support
an orphanage in West Africa. Guedelia’s parents work at the orphanage. Through
physical therapy sessions, Dr. Makofsky was not able to correct Guedalia’s
finger enough for her to carry on activities for daily living and her
development.
He appealed to
surgical specialists on Long Island about Guedalia’s difficult circumstances
and found Dr. Dagum, who agreed to perform the surgery. So the decision was
made to bring her to Long Island and to Stony Brook. Because of the severity of
her condition, the procedure represented a significant educational opportunity
for medical trainees who observed the operation. This qualified Dr. Dagum’s
operation as a teaching case through the School of Medicine. Guedalia’s family
will not have to pay for the surgery and related services at Stony Brook.
Michael Weisburger, M.D., a Stony Brook Hand Surgery Fellow, assisted Dr.
Dagum.
“Thousands of
children in developing countries suffer injuries from burns that are similar to
Guedalia’s but they never have the chance to have corrective surgery to then
lead normal lives,” says Dr. Dagum. “If this type of burn happens in the United
States, immediate treatment would lead to proper healing and contractures would
not result. We were thrilled to be able to help Guedalia, a very well adjusted
and cheerful little girl.”
 |
Dr. Alexander Dagum,
center, and Stony Brook hand therapist Evan Ludin, examine the right hand of
Guedalia Sawadogo, 2, during her first hand therapy session post surgery.
|
At Stony Brook and
through various global health organizations, Dr. Dagum has surgically repaired
hundreds of hand and finger contractures at healthcare facilities in many
developing nations, helping to transform the lives of children and adults who
otherwise could not complete daily activities without compromise and much
difficulty. He expects Guedalia to make a full recovery and use her right hand
normally over time.
The World Health
Organization reports that burns remain a major global health problem,
particularly in the developing world where thousands of children suffer burns each
year that leave them with disabilities. Children with disabilities in some
developing nations generally do not attend school, which further halts their
normal development.
On December 1, Evan
Ludin, Supervisor of Hand Therapy at Stony Brook began the first of several
hand and occupational therapy sessions for Guedalia before she returns to West
Africa on December 13.
While Guedalia is
unaware of how thankful her family is that she received corrective hand surgery
at Stony Brook this holiday season, once she got used to her first hand therapy
session she smiled and showed her inquisitive nature. That led Ludin to carve
out a small figure from the splint material, which looked in color and shape
like a little ginger bread man. With raised eyebrows and a giggle, Guedalia
approved of her new figurine.
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