Johannesburg – World-renowned plastic surgeon Ridwan Mia has expressed gratitude to South Africans for donations and prayers made to ensure Rodwell Nkomozana is able to smile again after his face was damaged in a hyena attack.
In an interview with The Star, Mia said several procedures will be performed in reconstructing the nine-year-old's face, including getting him a prosthetic eye.
Nkomozana suffered major damage to his face after he was attacked by a hyena while attending a religious ceremony. The surgery will include repairs to his checks, lips and nose.
“When I first got the call about the child who was injured in Zim, I asked them to send me a photograph of what he looked like before any doctor saw him. I said to myself this is not right, so I am happy that I can be included to help this child.’’
Mia, also known as “Dr Fixit", said he was grateful to those that had sent in donations to cover the costs of the surgery, which was likely to go into millions. Many doctors and specialists had also offered to help with the surgery free of charge.
“Let’s continue in the spirit of ubuntu that people have shown towards Rodwell and some of our patients. It is good that we are showing this spirit of generosity to a child from a neighbouring country and thank you for the prayers and support. I’m humbled to see people bending to make this child’s future a bright one,” Mia said
Mia said an initial assessment had been done on Rodwell and he was in good spirits. Over the weekend, doctors would begin some bone work as part of a series of surgeries.
With the threat of Covid-19 in mind, doctors said they were taking extra precautions to protect Rodwell and his mother.
“We are all nervous, but we are nervous because this child has had severe injuries and he has lost a lot of important structures in the middle of his face, so the reconstruction will include many stages of surgery.
’’So there’s lots of theory being done at the moment and coordinating with the other specialities. We have a daunting task ahead.
’’In terms of surgery, we have to exercise our protocols in the ward to ensure we don’t expose his mother and the patient to other patients and to other dangers in the hospital, so we have been very careful,” Mia said.
The Star