A two-year-old Burmese burn survivor is to undergo surgery for free in Taiwan this week so that she can walk again, a local charity group said.
The daughter of a woman named Phyu Pyar was brought to Taiwan earlier this month after Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital promised to cover the NT$750,000 fee for the surgery, the Taiwan Christian International Holistic Care Missionary Association said.
The case was brought to the attention of the association during its medical mission in Bagan, Myanmar, in November last year.
Phyu Pyar on Sunday said her daughter suffered serious burns on her feet and bottom when she accidentally stepped into a pile of ashes from burning tree leaves eight months ago.
She is barely able to walk with her deformed feet, Phyu Pyar said, adding that the family did not have the money to have her properly treated.
When she learned that a Taiwanese volunteer medical group was in Myanmar, she traveled 90 minutes on her scooter with her daughter to see the Taiwanese doctors, she said.
With the help of the association and a number of local charities, the hospital agreed to perform the surgery to treat the girl’s burns.
Chuang Shiow-shuh (莊秀樹), the doctor performing the surgery, said the procedure would involve removing the scars on the girl’s feet and then removing skin from other parts of her body and transplanting it to her feet.
“This is a relatively big surgery, but our team expects to solve the little girl’s problem once and for all,” he said, adding that if all goes well, she should be back on her feet in three weeks.
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