Surgery lets teenager eat steak for first time in his life

Kevin Chan-kam, a Mauritian teenager who underwent a complex surgical procedure in Taiwan last November to correct a congenital craniofacial deformity, got his first taste of steak yesterday.

"It's the most delicious, most wonderful food I have ever eaten in my life," Chan-kam said.

Chan-kam, who had suffered from Pfeiffer syndrome, could only eat fluid and soft foods before the surgery at Taiwan's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (長庚紀念醫院). The 16-year-old said he has long yearned to eat steak.

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Superintendent Chen Yu-ruey (陳昱瑞) said Chan-kam's ability to chew, speak and even breathe have been markedly improved by the surgery, which largely corrected the boy's severe midface retrusion and mandible protrusion.

"The surgery has been very successful," Chen said. "In just six weeks, Kevin has fully recovered from the operation and has been transformed into a handsome boy."

Chan-kam underwent extensive cranial remodeling in South Africa when he was four months old to allow his brain to develop normally, with follow-up remodeling operations at ages one and six.

He is scheduled to return to Mauritius with his parents this weekend.

"We will forever remember all the love, care and assistance the people of Taiwan have given to us," his mother said.

Chan-kam's parents are descendants of early Cantonese immigrants to Mauritius, a small volcanic island in the Indian Ocean about 800km east of Madagascar. Mauritius is home to about 30,000 overseas Chinese -- the largest population of overseas Chinese residing in any African nation.