Nearly three years ago, 17-year-old Naomi from Tanzania was in the company of family and friends when she had a seizure around an open fire.
“As she was falling down, the person next to her tried to hold her back, but she was too heavy for her to lift her up so Naomi’s left hand went directly into the fire,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “She was quickly taken out, but had already incurred severe burns, especially on her fingers.”
Even though the wound was treated, she developed contractures in her fingers, a condition of shortening and hardening of muscles, tendons, and other tissues, resulting in her no longer able to use her right hand.
Naomi will need $550 to undergo single contracture release treatment that will aid her in having a more functional hand. “Naomi’s mother has a small business selling maize and beans in the market and her father is a guard at a privately owned company,” shares AMHF. The family has been unable to save enough money to cover the cost of the operation.
Naomi is “happy, very active and determined when she wants to do something,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. She shares, “When I am able to go back to school, I would like to study and become a pediatrician.”