By Kaya 959 News
A 9-year-old Zimbabwean boy will undergo facial reconstruction surgery on his face after he was mauled by a hyena.
Last month, Rodwell Khomazana was attacked by the hyena while at a nighttime church service in Harare.
Rodwell lost his nose, left eye, upper lip and bits of his forehead.
Zimbabwean medical teams were unable to further assist because they did not have the proper resources.
His mother contacted medics in SA who agreed to operate for free at a medical facility in Gauteng.
Speaking to AFP, plastic surgeon Ridwan Mia, said when the boy’s mother explained the attack, he could not say no.
Mia said the boy was flown to South Africa at the weekend where medical staff sang the SA national anthem as he was wheeled into the hospital.
The staff also wore white T-shirts with the words ‘Team Rodwell’ printed on them.
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Doctor explains reconstruction procedure
Rodwell’s surgery is expected to take place on Monday, which due to the complex nature, will take around 20 hours to perform.
Mia explained how doctors will carry out the procedure. The boy’s jaw will be reconstructed with tissue from other parts of his body.
The same will also be done for his cheeks, nose, and mouth.
“Rodwell will be fitted with a prosthetic eye. Unfortunately, he will have multiple scars on his face. What we are hoping to do is a procedure where we minimise… the scarring,” he explained.
Mia added that Rodwell will also have lifelong scars on his face.
“But we want to give him something that will at least allow him to be functional and enjoy the things that other kids do,” he said.
Donations will cover the cost of Rodwell’s hospital stay.
He is expected to spend at least a month in hospital and doctors will perform follow up procedures.
In the meantime, Rodwell’s moher has been offered hotel accommodation while her son recovers.
The leftover funds, Mia said, will be used for therapy.
“Psychological support would be particularly important for him to accept his new eye,” Mia said.
He said while they hoped that Rodwell would eventually heal, he suffered a huge injury and that’s the harsh reality he has to deal with.
