FREETOWN -- For years, Adama watched helplessly as her daughter Jaminatu withdrew from the world around her. Severe burn contractures forced the 11-year-old out of school and into isolation. “Jaminatu couldn’t socialize much for fear of mockery,” Adama revealed. “Those challenges made me cry a lot.” The contractures affecting Jaminatu’s left axilla and elbow severely restricted the movement of her arm, making everyday activities difficult. As a result, Jaminatu spent most of her time alone indoors. “I want to go to school, but I’m unable. Seeing other children do things I’m unable to do breaks my heart,” she shared. Severe burn contractures develop when burn wounds heal by forming tight scar tissue that pulls the skin, causing joints to become fixed in abnormal positions. When left untreated, as in Jaminatu’s case, they can drastically affect a person’s ability to attend school and perform everyday tasks. Jaminatu’s burn was the result of a tragic accident involving boiling water. Faced with unaffordable medical bills, the family had no choice but to turn to ineffective traditional remedies, leaving Jaminatu with visible scars and a contracture. After going in and out of government hospitals with no clear solution in sight, Adama’s long-held dreams for her daughter’s education seemed shattered. Still, she clung to hope. Then, one day, a radio broadcast convinced the family to seek help on board the Global Mercy™ in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Jaminatu’s subsequent three-and-a-half-hour reconstructive surgery was led by volunteer plastic surgeon Dr. Tertius Venter. He explained that without access to timely and appropriate treatment, even a superficial burn can become infected and lead to extensive skin loss and disabling contractures. “The only way the body can heal this is by pulling the skin edges together. If that’s over a joint, you end up with a joint that can’t work anymore.” Published scientific research (https://apo-opa.co/4yWAy2p) affirms that burns disproportionately affect people in developing countries. Nearly 4% of people surveyed in Sierra Leone had suffered from one of several types of burns, with children being the most affected and the upper extremities among the most affected areas. Children aged 0–4 had the highest reported proportion, followed by children aged 5–14. Eighty-nine per cent of the reported burns were caused by hot liquids—much like Jaminatu’s. Following her surgery, Jaminatu began an intensive rehabilitation journey that lasted nearly six months. In the end, she regained full movement in her arm and finally overcame the physical limitations that had shaped her life for two years. Once she was discharged from the floating hospital, Jaminatu and Adama returned to their village. Their joyful neighbors rushed out to welcome them with shouts of joy. “When we arrived and saw the crowd, I was so happy they came to see my child,” Adama said with delight. For Adama, her daughter’s recovery meant more than restored movement; it renewed her hope that Jaminatu could live beyond her room, continue her education, and embrace opportunities that had once seemed out of reach.
Severe Burns Threaten to Keep a Child from Her Education
How the restorative power of free surgery with Mercy Ships gave a mother new hope for her daughter
