Two-year-old Hor enjoys playing with her dolls and watching cartoons on television in her home in Cambodia.
“After a poorly administered injection at three months old, Hor experienced a tightening of her left quadriceps,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. “It is difficult for her to flex her knee because the fibrosis has dragged her patella out of place as she has grown.”
Hor’s mother has made finding care for her daughter a top priority. “I can’t go to work and am spending money and time to find treatment for her,” she says.
For $378, Hor will undergo a quadriceplasty, a surgical technique in which doctors release adhesions and contractures in the quadriceps muscles to make it easier for her to bend her knee. Funding also covers the costs of two weeks of hospital care, five days of post-operative care, and four follow-up appointments during the first year after surgery.
“After a quadriceplasty surgery, Hor’s left leg will regain mobility,” says CSC. “She will have regular physical therapy at CSC after surgery to help her learn to walk.”
Hor’s mother looks forward to the positive impact of a successful surgery for Hor. “I hope my daughter will be able to walk like other kids,” she says. “And when she grows up, I want her to go to school and become a teacher.”