Restoring dignity and confidence

The golden star from Oulan Bator, Mongolia

Altan Od, operated on in Mongolia in April 2009.

“The first thing we heard was a little tinkle from the bell on the foot of Altan Od, a little girl aged 1 year and 1 month, cradled in the arms of her mother. They arrived the day after official consultations and were among those patients examined in the corridor outside the ward. Her palms were covered in burns and her fingers curled inwards - a result of injuries sustained in the autumn when Altan Od (which means ‘Golden Star’) grabbed the stove in the yurt where she lives with her mother in the suburbs of Ulan Bator. That kind of household accident is unfortunately quite common since the stove used to cook and heat the home is on the ground, within easy reach. The child’s mother tried to care for her daughter herself using a traditional balm, but when the two went to the local hospital on a separate occasion for pneumonia treatment, they were advised to visit the burns hospital, where the child underwent her first operation in November. However, the doctor recommended that she return when the French team came to visit. So they came, the two of them waiting patiently in the corridor. The mother wanted her daughter to be able to use her hands again. Cécile, the French surgeon who performed the operation, explained how she used a complete skin graft by removing tissue from a fold in the stomach and inserting pins into the fingers on the right hand to ensure they remained extended and away from the palm. When ‘Golden Star’ awoke after the operation, she found her hands covered in bandages, but she will soon be able to play again.”

COPYRIGHT : Flora Baré