- Atlanta - Boston - Chicago - DC Area - Houston - Jersey Area - Los Angeles - New York - SF Bay Area
- Earlier editions
- Astrology - Broadband - Cricket New! - Immigration - Money - Movies - New To US New! - Radio - Women - India News - US News
- Rediff Chat - Rediff Bol - Rediff Mail - Home Pages
Nine-year-old Soni Alam, a burn victim from Kateswar (near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India), was discharged from Hamilton St Joseph hospital on Wednesday. She will go to her temporary home in Hamilton, near Toronto, for recuperation and follow-up physiotherapy.
Dr Achilleas Thoma had performed the reconstructive surgery on July 27 that included grafting skin on Soni's left arm and chest, both badly burnt when she tripped over a kerosene lamp at her home, sparking a disastrous fire in April 2000.
Besides the usual post-operative blues, Soni is still in a lot of pain and discomfort from the wires placed in her fingers and right hand to help straighten them.
Hospital authorities say it's also uncomfortable for her to sit on a chair because of soreness where a patch of skin was removed from her buttocks for plastic surgery on her badly damaged left arm.
In a telephone interview, St Joseph's spokesperson Jocelyn Garrett said Soni would be back on Friday when Dr Thoma would take off the cast and dressing from both hands and assess her condition.
Soni would later be under the care of physiotherapist Lata Gokhale.
In an earlier interview, Gokhale had said, "My goal will be to prevent contractures and help in speedy recovery."
Contracture is soft tissue tightness which does not allow the joint to move properly.
Garrett was unable to say how many weeks of physiotherapy it would take before Soni and her mother could return to their village in India.
St Joseph has provided all the services free of cost and the hospital foundation has already raised Can $24,000 for Soni and her mother's expenses in Canada, said Garrett.
The Hamilton Fire Fighters Association presented a cheque for $7,000 on Tuesday. The money will go towards Soni's educational trust fund, Garrett said.
Dr Bashir Khambalia of St Joseph hospital had gone to Varanasi a few months back to donate medical equipment and medicines to a local hospital. He had also volunteered time at a health clinic in Kateswar when Soni was taken to him by her mother.
It is as a result of his efforts that St Joseph agreed to sponsor Soni's visit to Canada.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
