The Two-Part Story of Kim
Kim was born as the last of triplet girls in Vietnam. Her two siblings were normal, but Kim had an embryonic abnormality so that part of her face did not join correctly. She had no nose, her eyes were far apart, and part of her brain was coming out in front of her face. This nasal cleft and encephalocoele is very rare. Apart from this abnormality, she was perfectly normal.
In 2001, she came to Melbourne and was operated upon by Mr Tony Holmes, then head of the Craniofacial Unit at the Royal Children's Hospital. He operated over the top of her head, taking her scalp down and part of her skull and brain, in order to rebuild her face safely. Plastic models were built from special 3 dimensional CT scans, and Mr Holmes was able to operate on these models before he actually operated on Kim.
A nose was made taking skin from her forehead and turning it around. Her face and eyes were brought together a distance of 5 cms!
Kim and her mother were staying with Vietnamese community leader Thu Lam during the months of her staying in Melbourne while she had many operations. Kim had her 6th Birthday here, and saw videos of her triplet siblings back in Vietnam celebrating their 6th Birthday with their father and friends.
Thu Lam was a wonderful support for Kim and her mother as well as other Vietnamese children, and it is for this reason, apart from her fund-raising skills, that she was appointed a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Richmond in 2007.
By 2008 Kim had reached the age of 13 and she wants to look as good as her sisters so she returned to Melbourne for further surgery by Mr Holmes. She needed new bones to remake her nose, and these were taken from a rib. When she finishes growing in another 2 years or so, Mr Holmes will do some more plastic surgery on her new nose.
Without this surgery, Kim would not have been able to lead a normal life, play sport or get married. She is a delightful, very bright girl, and is in Year 8 as are her triplet siblings, and is a very keen sportswoman.
Kim was the star attraction at the ROMAC 20th Anniversary Dinner in Melbourne on 29 August. Introduced by Dr Richard Christie, ROMAC Medical Director, she gave a heart-rending thank you to ROMAC and her surgeon.
At a subsequent fundraiser at organised by Thu Lam in October 2008, Kim gave a speech , nervously, and then read a poem which she has written herself about ROMAC . She again said thank you to ROMAC, and expressed her hope that ROMAC will continue to do good work for children throughout the world.
Kim is the centre of attention at the August Anniversary Dinner.
