Maria is getting a new hip. Sure, we all probably know someone who has hip replacement surgery, your grandfather, grandmother, the occasional pro athlete who took too many hits on the field, but Maria is only 23 years-old.
It’s not apparent how she lost the use of her right hip, an accident or perhaps a viral infection of some kind, but in the tiny village in Peru where she lives, she never got to play soccer with her friends, or even help her family in chores.
Just trying to relieve herself is a difficult and humiliating experience.
Maria is the oldest of 50-60 children that will be treated by the medical team led by Dr. David Shaw and his team of 18 surgeons, orthotic and prosthetic specialists, physical therapists, and nurses through the One Child at a Time and Capital City Medical Teams mission to Cuzco, Peru that I have been invited to document. I am privileged to accompany them as they help these kids, perhaps 300 in all, with a range of need like corrective surgery for club feet, limb augmentation, prosthetic fitting, and crutch and brace fittings. New chances for lives to be changed.
AmeriCares is providing the hip orthotic manufactured by Zimmer and instruments that will be needed for the procedure. It's really amazing to see how an operation like this comes together from all over the country to help those in need. I'm getting excited.
More to come.
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