Two Hands and No Bandages!

Meher's left hand is progressing nicely. She no longer needs to wear any kind of bandage and dressing, only the brace with the stiff backboard at night (to keep her hand from curling up again). She is going to physical therapy twice a week and seems to enjoy it, although she is so active and curious that she really does her own therapy already! As you can see in the pictures, she is using both hands and all her fingers now.


Her expansion is also going well, and we are expecting the 2nd surgery to take place in about a month.

Good News

Dr. Khazanchi, our plastic surgeon who ultimately made all of this possible, has now become a fund-raiser as well! He called me on Friday to tell me the good news: one of his patients who also has an expander just like Meher had been waiting with Meher and started talking to her. She became interested and ask Dr. Khazanchi about the charity project. He gave her all the background, and she was inspired by the story and wanted to donate. So her parents gave a donation to Dr. Khazanchi right away!
I went to Dr. Khazanchi's house yesterday to pick up the donation. Here he is with his wife, son, and nephew. His wife is also a physician and very committed to community service.

New Haircut

Meher has a new look! She is quite happy with it as she told me she feels much cooler now (it is currently very hot in Delhi, with temperatures around 45/110 degrees every day). Her good friend Sneha, who teaches the beautician course at the Women's Centre, cut her hair for her, as it was getting quite tangled and difficult to manage. Now it is easier to keep her head clean, which is crucial for preventing infection in the extreme heat and humidity.



She goes for physical therapy for her left hand twice a week. The therapy takes place nearby at a charitable centre for senior citizens. The doctor who is in charge of the therapy has agreed to see Meher free of charge so we are very grateful for his help!

Starting Physical Therapy

Meher's left hand is almost completely healed now and she is starting therapy for it this week. She will meet the physical therapist later this week. The therapist is in touch with Dr. Khazanchi and will begin by expanding the mobility of her fingers. She is already using her hand to help her steady things, but as it is still partially immobilized by the dressings, she does not use any of her fingers individually.
In these pictures she is very happy as I had arrived at the end of her class and after posing for some group photos all of the students started dancing.

Here is her left hand in its current dressings.

Using Two Hands!

Meher's left hand is still bandaged up, but the big cast is gone and her four separate fingers are now visible! Everyone is very excited, as she never was able to separate her fingers on her left hand at all before. She has also started using them slightly, although they are somewhat immobilized still. She is going for saline injections twice a week now, and the expanders are filling slowly. As you can see from the pictures, the expansion is not that visible as yet.

Here she is very happy as she has just returned to the Women's Centre after going to the hospital for saline injections!