When Esther Tenneh Sesay, now age 16, first came to us in 2016, her spine was deforming due to a tuberculosis infection caused by a kyphosis fracture of her spine. She was in pain, and her legs were already paralyzed to the point where she could only stand with the support of her mother. On October 15 , Esther returned to our base in Freetown with her older sister.
Now out of pain, Esther wanted to show us how she is able to stand on her own while she even lent some pretense support to her healthy sister. Africa Surgery had sent Esther and funded her treatment at the hospital of the Foundation of Orthopedics and complex Spine (FOCOS, www.orthofocos.org) in Accra, Ghana. There Esther underwent halo traction treatment and multiple surgeries. She has regained most of her neural function and is on track for a full recovery. Esther is one of 13 patients sent in 2018 by Africa Surgery to FOCOS in Ghana for successful complex spinal surgery.