Westmead doctors perform a miracle
April 20th, 2009
It's a beam of hope and salvation for the world knowing that in times of trouble and turmoil angels and martyrs still walk the earth. One of them is Nisha Buksh, a resident of Pagewood in Australia who braved sleepless nights hoping her grand-niece would survive severe burns from an accident last year.
Three and a half-year old Wajihah Noor Jahan cuddled close to her mother's chest as she returned to Fiji last month after undergoing successful medical treatment in Australia.Wajihah suffered 40 per cent burns to her body almost five months ago when she slipped and sat in a bucket of very hot water mixed with bleach and washing soda.
Her accident caused several infections a few days later and she was given less than a 25 per cent chance of surviving the dreadful misfortune.But great-aunt Nisha came to her rescue with the help of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children who funded little Wajihah's treatment in Sydney.
"I was informed of Wajihah's accident at the end of October last year. From then on, I was in daily contact with her mother through phone, text and skype," said Nisha who lives in Australia. "At first, I was told Wajihah was doing well with recovery. About three weeks down the track, I heard from a nephew that Wajihah was far from okay." She had pseudomonas septicemia and within a few days, she had gained several infections.
"I started to panic and went through Wikipedia Medical site to find out about the related infections. I learnt this child's life was in danger. I started liaising with Doctor Semesa at the Colonial War Memorial hospital.
"He mentioned that he had done whatever he could to help.
"Dr Semesa is the head of the burns unit at CWM and according to Nisha he mentioned Wajihah's survival chances were very slim. Like any good Samaritan, Nisha sought help for the child from various places, knocking on the doors of so many doctors. Eventually, she submitted photographs to doctors in Sydney who were able to estimate the cost for Wajihah's treatment.
Her plea for help did not fall on deaf ears as ROMAC stepped in to fund the $100,000 treatment for Wajihah. ROMAC has normally had a ceiling cost of $25,000 per child.
"In an effort to make up the difference towards this amount, my husband and I also made an agreement with ROMAC to contribute 20 per cent of all our future sales from my business Aussie Woodcraft Design," Nisha said.
"Wajihah was so sick that her father and the medical team in Fiji were concerned she would not make the flight to Sydney."Her father told me before her journey to Australia that Wajihah would not make it and that the doctors in Fiji also thought that.
"I told him his child was not going to die today, tomorrow or the day after. I told him either in the plane or she survives, it was in the hands of God.
"Throughout the journey, my husband and I prayed for the child to come to us alive. I was worried because I took chances with the family that I would have to answer for the rest of my life if something happened on the plane.
"But nothing happened and Wajihah arrived in Sydney safe and sound. She was immediately rushed to Westmead Children's hospital and taken under the wing of Dr John Harvey, head of burns unit which is a pediatric arm of the New South Wales severe burn injury service. Wajihah spent two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit in mid January this year awaiting the second lot of donor skin for her body. Almost a month later, Wajihah's skin graft was healing well and she was able to talk despite losing her vocals back in Fiji.
"On February 12, Wajihah's final skin graft was complete. The process was painfully slow because she had to heal in sections before new graft was to take place," Nisha said.
"We ran out of donor areas and her scalp became the donor source also. Five days later, she recovered well and was discharged on February 23 for physiotherapy and general mobilisation.
"She came home with us but went to outpatients care daily. She was able to walk slowly with support and was partially fed through nasogastric intubation until normal feeding patterns developed."
