Young girl begins free treatment for facial burns
Doctors examine the scars on Wu Deli's face — she suffered serious burns during a fire which killed her infant sister.
A 14-year-old girl from the Dong ethnic minority began a series of free treatments to repair burns on her face in Shanghai today.
Wu Deli, from a poor farmer's family in rural Guizhou Province, received burns across the right side of her face and her entire forehead during a fire at her home.
The scars weren't just physical, though — Wu tried and failed to save her two-year-old sister from the blaze, affecting her psychologically as well.
“I want to have my face repaired, but my family can’t afford the medical bill,” she said. “I want to go to university and have a beautiful life even though my face is destroyed.”
After learning Wu’s story, the Shanghai Huamei Charity Foundation contacted her family and brought her to Shanghai to start a series of treatments.
Medical experts participating in a medical forum held a group consultation with Wu today and conducted the first laser treatment on her face, which is expected to "greatly reduce" the visibility of the scars.
“Wu should receive repeated laser therapy every two or three months over the course of about two years,” Dr Zhang Yixin from Shanghai No.9 People’s Hospital said.
The entire cost of treatment will be shouldered by the charity foundation, backed by Shanghai's Huamei Plastic Surgery Hospital.
