A team of Australian doctors have radically transformed a young woman born with a rare medical condition that caused tumours to deform her face.
Natalia Apaseray, 26, from the Papuan city of Jayapura in Indonesia, was born with neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes benign tumours to grow on the skin, spinal cord and nerves.
Ms Apaseray suffered a severe form of the condition but could not get the medical help she so desperately needed in West Papua.
Natalia Apaseray, 26, before treatment (left) and the dramatic improvement after her surgeries (right). Ms Apaseray was born with neurofibromatosis causing tumours to grow on her face. She could not get the help she needed in West Papua so Rotary flew her to Sydney for treatment. Donations for further care can be made at Rotary’s Project Natalia page.
As a result, the growths took over the right side of her face completely disfiguring it.
Ashamed of her deformity, she had to hide her face from local children who demonised her.
Plastic surgeon Michael Kernohan, who operated on Ms Apaseray, said her social status had been pretty dire.
‘She was found by one of the missionary workers in her country in a bin with local kids throwing rocks at it,’ he told SBS news.
After seven hours of surgery, Natalia took several weeks to recover, wearing pressure bandages and going on gentle trips to keep her healing well such as to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Before surgery, Natalia arrived at Sydney Airport with her friend Ema in May. Rotary took care of accommodation and flights
While in Sydney before her surgery, Natalia got to visit Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge and other tourist spots
In February 2018, a member of the US medical team who found Natalia contacted Peter Gray, the then-president of the Rotary Club of Phnom Penh, and sent him a photo of Natalia, asking for help.
‘No-one deserves to live like this,’ Mr Gray told the Liverpool City Champion newspaper.
Mr Gray immediately began calling fellow Rotary members to round up support for Natalia.
Rotary clubs in western Sydney, Bendigo and his own Phnom Penh chapter rallied to the cause, raising $27,000 to bring Natalia to Australia for treatment.
By December he had contacted cardiothoracic surgeon Bruce French and plastic surgeon Michael Kernohan at Liverpool Hospital who agreed to help.
The pair lobbied the hospital’s board to allow them to treat Natalia as a humanitarian patient, Mr Gray said.
The planning for Natalia’s treatment began 18 months before she was flown to Sydney for the complex and difficult procedures to remove her facial tumours.
After surgery, and supported by friends, Natalia needed to wear a pressure bandage on her face to help it heal
The team of specialists that treated her included plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, ear nose and throat surgeons, psychologists, anaesthetists, radiologists and nursing staff.
Natalia had her first surgery on Monday, May 13, followed by major facial reconstruction work on Saturday, June 15, in a seven-hour operation conducted by Dr Kernohan and his team.
The mammoth surgery involved the removal of a large portion of the right side of her face, along with the reconstruction of her nose, mouth and eyelid.
Dr Kernohan said the staff had given their time for free to treat and care for Natalia, while Rotary paid for her transport and accommodation needs.
‘Rotary flew Natalia to Australia late in 2018 for an intensive week of medical appointments and scans before she returned again in May as a humanitarian patient,’ Dr Kernohan told News.com.
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Michael Kernohan (left) with cardiothoracic surgeon Bruce French (right) gave Natalia a full medical assessment last December in preparation for surgery. A large team of specialists pitched in to help
‘There are countless people who offered their time to be part of something that had never been done in a NSW hospital.’
Dr Kernohan said Natalia had shown great courage through her surgeries and he would be glad to help her in the future if she needed it.
‘Natalia has been so brave throughout this unfamiliar journey and has not complained once,’ he said.
The Rotary team did their best to keep Natalia’s spirits up during her recovery, taking her sightseeing.
Natalia’s condition has been greatly improved by a complex seven-hour operation. Natalia thanked the Liverpool Hospital staff and Rotarians who had become like family to her. ‘I am so happy to be going back to see my community,’ she said.
Natalia shared photographs of her adventures to the beach, to the Blue Mountains, and to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, charting her progress on Facebook.
Natalia thanked Rotary and the Liverpool Hospital staff, for their love and willingness to help and said they were like family to her.
‘I felt a lot of shame growing up in Jayapura because of my face,’ she told news.com.au.
‘I am so happy to be going back to see my community. I no longer feel the need to hide my face. There is no way I can pay everyone back for how they have helped.’
Neurofibromatosis affects about 1 in every 3000 Australians with most suffering only small nodules from a minor form of the disease.
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