Kochi: Twelve-year-old Kusumavathy, whose face was disfigured in an attack by a bear, went home smiling on Friday after undergoing facial reconstruction surgery at a hospital in Kochi.
Kusumavathy, a student of a tribal school in Chattisgarh was admitted to Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) three months ago following a bear attack while she was collecting wood.
She could barely open her mouth because of a huge gap in her palate making it difficult for her to eat, drink or speak, Dr Subramania Iyer, Chief of plastic surgery, who led the team of surgeons, said.
Her left eye and upper jaw were missing, she was weak and could barely walk due to malnourishment, he said.
Kusumavathy underwent five surgical procedures in which her missing upper jaw was reconstructed and her cheek was restored through microsurgery, he said.
Her missing eye was replaced by an artificial eye after reconstructing the bony walls. The deformed nose and facial skin were also restored and missing teeth were put back using implants, Iyer said.
She could now open the mouth and eat well, he said. "I am very happy that I could do this much to the young girl, whose condition was pathetic when she had come to hospital," Iyer said.
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