12/19/2017

Lemy Is a Superhero

Lemy croppedLemy is a curious, charming 8-year-old "superhero" we met at Lusaka's Italian Mission Hospital's clinic day.

Every Tuesday Dr. Goran Jovic, ReSurge's Surgical Outreach Partner in Lusaka, holds a clinic to assess patients and set his surgical schedule for the coming weeks and months.

Lemy, who is returning for yet another procedure, was attacked by a dog at age 6. He was badly mauled, leaving his cheek and nose an open wound. As he healed, his skin contracted, leaving him at risk that his nose would close up and prevent him from breathing.

Dr. Jovic provided a stent to prevent this from happening, and has performed grafts to repair the damage to Lemy's cheek and nose.

Lemy now has the confidence to smile for and interact with, ReSurge's film crew. We are so happy to see the change in Lemy--he really is a superhero!

Dr. Jovic is one of just five plastic surgeons in the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe combined, where there are approximately 33 million people. With well-established programs in Latin America and Asia, ReSurge hopes to expand the scope of its work in Africa, treating more patients like Lemy and supporting the training of more plastic surgeons such as Dr. Jovic.

Dec 19, 2017 11:33:25 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

NEXT POST
Meet Jackson of Tanzania
PREVIOUS POST
Female Surgeons Leading the Way: Increasing Access to Reconstructive Surgery *This post, by ReSurge International President and CEO, Jeff Whisenant, was originally posted on the InterAction blog. The challenges facing women interested in a surgical career are daunting anywhere. For women in developing countries, those challenges are far greater. Yet, it is these countries that are in most need of additional surgical expertise. Today, five billion people worldwide lack access to safe, timely and affordable surgical care. Common maladies treated by reconstructive surgeons, such as injuries, malignancies and congenital conditions are far more readily addressed in countries like the US, where most families — even those without health insurance — have access to immediate medical attention and the kind of surgical intervention that can make a critical difference. In many developing countries, poor families cannot afford such medical help. Read the full article here.

ReSurge

Since 1969, ReSurge International has provided more than 110,000 surgeries in developing countries through direct treatment of patients and training of local surgeons.

The Typepad Team

Search

My Other Accounts

Recent Comments