Kelowna doctors performing life-changing surgeries in Ethiopia

Halfway across the world, a number of Kelowna residents are helping change the lives of others.

A team of doctors and volunteers are in Ethiopia right now giving free surgeries to individuals in need. The team is made up of Kelowna plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and volunteers.

The first surgery that took place during this trip involved a young man named Adane Aweke. The young man travelled more than 70 kilometres alone by bus to have two surgeries. Aweke had a neck and arm contracture, which is a condition of shortening and hardening of muscles and tendons. The man works as a gardener and told doctors that he’s always been made fun of because the way he looks.

“Injured since he was an infant, he has admitted that people have made fun of him throughout his life and that the injuries affect his work. He has minimal use of this left hand, and neck movement has been somewhat limited until the contracture was released,” noted the RESTOR blog.

Aweke is also undertaking religious studies to be a Deacon. He hopes that one day he will become a businessman with a small retail store.

The young man had both surgeries and the first thing he asked the doctors after was “how soon can I go back to work?”

Aweke said he hopes to be more accepted in the future because of these surgeries.

“Thank you for changing my future. I have no words”

John McCormack, President of RESTOR International said this year the doctors are performing a number of surgeries.

The top surgery is for burns. Doctors recently helped a two-year-old be able to grab onto objects again. Legese Anerto was six-months-old when she fell into a cooking fire and the fingers on her right hand fused together. Doctors have been able to separate the little girl’s fingers.

Doctors were also able to help Eshetu Esubalew, who was in the crib beside Anerto. The three-year-old boy was born with his fingers fused together on both hands. Doctors have performed the surgery on Esubalew and once his hands are healed, he will have use of his fingers for the first time in his life.

RESTOR is continuing to update the online blog with pictures of the individuals helped.

“I still get that lump in my throat just seeing the pictures, the before and after pictures. The neat thing about it is we’re helping people’s lives change. When you get a burn or a cleft lip and palate in these countries you are shunned and shamed,” explained McCormack.

“When you show you can change a person’s life and they have a future and they can walk in public with confidence and pride it really does affect me.”

The team will arrive back in Kelowna at the end of the month.