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!

Dance Class

Yesterday, I went to the Women's Centre for my usual Wednesday English class, and arrived in time to catch the end of Creche (Kindergarten) class. The children were dancing to their favorite songs, singing along and doing their dance steps. Dance class is a very serious subject for them!


Meher was enjoying herself dancing as vigorously as all of her friends. The bandages were taken off her leg on Monday as the skin has grown back completely. She also had her first saline insertions on Monday. The expansion (injection of saline) will continue twice a week now. She is no longer in any pain and appears to be quite healthy, as you can see from her energy in the video below!

Full of Energy and Recovering Well

Meher went back to the hospital for a check up and dressing change yesterday. Everything is progressing nicely and we should be able to start filling the expanders with saline soon. Meher is as lively as ever and is attending classes, playing inside and outside, and interacting with everyone like she always does. The staff at the Women's Centre try to encourage her to play quietly as her leg and hand are still bandaged up, but as it is impossible to make a four year old sit still, she continues to run around.
Her left hand is healing well, but will remain in dressing until it is fully healed, which could take up to 6 or 8 more weeks. The leg wound is very slight and will be completely healed soon (the plastic surgeon had to take some skin from her leg to fully restore her left hand).