Mariam Saleem, 15, was born with Nager syndrome, which impacts the event of her face, jaw, and mouth.
For most of her life she’s been too afraid to talk.
Her father Saleem Afzal has advocated tirelessly on her behalf after watching Mariam in ache, and stated she did not utter a phrase for years.
“Her voice is not audible to everybody, nobody can understand her voice because she’s got a very shrill voice, and that’s why she’s stopped talking,” he stated.
“It was a really, really difficult time for us. You can’t imagine.”
The household has been unable to entry correct healthcare in Pakistan, and searched the world for assist.
“In my country, there were no facilities to deal with such kind of care,” Afzal stated.
“I couldn’t afford to do any of it. That was a really unimaginable thing for me.
“This is the prime goal of my life, there’s nothing extra necessary than this.”
After searching the world for help, he found the Craniofacial Australia Foundation in Adelaide.
A team of surgeons at Calvary Hospital in the city worked pro-bono to help Mariam gain movement in her jaw.
The procedure, although daunting, was a success.
Mariam admitted she was “scared” but is “proud of the outcome.”
Her doctors expect she’ll be back in Adelaide over the next few years to undergo further surgeries.
Christina Panagopoulos from Craniofacial Australia explained how it helped.
“We supplied monetary help for them to have the ability to commute from Pakistan to Australia, and we additionally co-ordinated the care group, so the craniofacial surgeon, the dentist that was in a position to help with remedy,” Panagopoulos said.
Source: www.9news.com.au
