Sirisu is a charming 4-year-old from Nepal who accidentally scalded his arm while making hot food for his cow, severely burning his left hand and forearm. The initial care he received was limited to changing the dressings over his wounds. This did not allow his burns to heal properly, leaving him with binding scars that restricted his ability to open his hand, straighten his wrist or use his hand for day-to-day activities.
Dr. Nancy Chee, our volunteer occupational and hand therapist who went on the trip to Nepal, met Sirisu early on in the trip. Dr. Shankar Man Rai, ReSurge’s longtime partner and director emeritus of our Surgical Outreach Program in Nepal, had just performed surgery on Sirisu’s burn scars to release his hand and wrist when she met him.
Sirisu would cheerfully greet Nancy every morning as she arrived at the hospital. Then she and Mohan, our hand therapist with the Surgical Outreach program whom Nancy has mentored for many years, brought him in for follow-up care and rehabilitation to help ensure that his hand and wrist function would be restored.
“After a dressing change and treatment, he is now happily running around the hospital with his bright red splint and straight wrist and hand!” said Nancy.
When he wasn’t running around, he was eagerly posing for our team members’ photos or cheerfully coloring away in a picture book. Nancy said that while Sirisu was not quite ready to fully use his injured hand just yet, he was already able to reach and pinch well enough to put together a block puzzle.
“But he will soon be doing all the things little boys do and probably be much more careful around his cow!” she added.
