“Hands are an important part of the human body. Without our hands, we can hardly do anything. Because she wasn’t able to use her two little hands, she needed help to go to the bathroom, to eat, to get dressed, and to write.”
Diana Castro, Mother to Luz Dariana
Small but Mighty: Meet Luz Dariana
Meet seven-year-old Luz Dariana, an intelligent, affectionate, and curious child from Santa, Cruz Bolivia. Like many children (and adults), Luz has always loved to create art.
“Any paper or notebook she had, she would get so excited about the paints and the colors. It’s what she loves. It’s her passion” said her mother Diana Castro.
Unfortunately, Luz was born without a thumb in her left hand or a radius bone in her right arm, due to a rare congenital anomaly called radial hemimelia which occurs in one out of every 30,000-100,000 live births.
Luz’s experiences differed from the children around her. Due to her limited hand mobility, she faced challenges eating, dressing, and developing motor skills. Just as significant, it was a barrier to accessing her powers of expression and creativity. As her peers learned to draw and write, Luz struggled to hold a crayon or pencil –– a challenge frustrating for a child who wants more than anything to create art.
Handcrafting Hope: Hand Restoration
The barriers this created for her daughter, inhibiting progress on day-to-day tasks, access to play, and her ability to express herself, broke Diana’s heart. Diana actively sought solutions, leading her to come across ReSurge Surgical Partner, Dr. Jorge Terrazas, a pioneering hand surgeon in Bolivia.
With the support of ReSurge International, Dr. Terrazas worked closely with Dr. Amy Moore, a ReSurge Medical Volunteer, and Dr. Tinga Nyoni, who is part of the ReSurge Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery Program (PWRS). With a team of surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists, they successfully performed two life-changing hand surgeries for young Luz.
Dr. Terrazas surgically constructed a thumb for Luz Dariana’s left hand. This surgery was very successful. For example, following the first procedure, she could now hold a pencil and draw. By collaborating with Dr. Tinga and Dr. Moore, they were able to operate and give Luz Dariana an extender in her arm and a rotation of her wrist.
A Heart for Art
Following hand surgery, Luz Dariana’s creative spirit and heart brought light and joy to her family and community. They witnessed her interweaving a world of vibrant colors, shapes, and puzzles –– with the same attention to detail as the hand surgeons who restored her hand mobility.
Luz, who once struggled to hold a crayon, was drawing and coloring her world! An artist and vivid creator, the surgery helped her to express herself and envision a bright and colorful future.
When asked how she feels now that she can move all her fingers, Luz’s face glowed as she responded “Good. Very good!”
Hand in Hand with Luz Dariana
According to Diana, Luz’s independence has grown exponentially. After the operation, she can now do things on her own. Luz’s newfound confidence and independence are also a gift for Diana, who has more energy and time for herself.
It does not stop with Luz. In a country of 12.5 million people, there are likely to be one to six children born each year in Bolivia whose lives can be transformed through access to surgical care. Luz’s case is just one example of the surgical care ReSurge makes accessible worldwide. It is a great illustration of how one surgery can positively shape the life of a child, their family members, the children they play with, and the community they enrich.
