Mike Belliere, co-founder of MEAK recounts how MEAK changed Agnes’ life.

Agnes’ story

Here’s an interesting case study that makes one realize just what a fairly small accident can do to the life of a person in Kenya.

 At just 28 years old, Agnes was about to be condemned to a life of disability and ousted from her community. She had fallen on to her left arm more than six weeks before the MEAK team met her.  As a result of the fall she had sustained a complex fracture of her elbow, the dislocated bones had already started healing in the wrong position, leaving her with severe pain and no function.

As the wife of a Masaai warrior, Agnes is expected to build and maintain the mud hut in which the family live.  On a day to day basis she will milk the cows, fetch the water, collect firewood, prepare food, wash clothes, look after the children and much more.  With her left arm now of no use, she was unable to serve her husband and family and with no means to undergo an operation it was likely that Agnes would be cast out of her community.

The surgeons at Nanyuki District Hospital had heard of Agnes’ plight and arranged for her to travel down from her rural homeland to meet the UK team.  With such a severe injury (that was at least six weeks old) the team were unsure of the best way to help her.  UK Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Upper Limb Specialist Archie Hawken and local surgeon Dr Mathenge had long discussions weighing up the treatment options for Agnes and after much deliberation they decided to operate.

During a four hour procedure Agnes’s elbow was re-broken and re-aligned in the correct position.  The bones were then fixed in place with plates and screws.  Amazingly by the end of her operation the surgeons were able to flex and extend her arm as normal.Agnes still has a fight ahead of her, with intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation required to help the elbow return to full function.  However, the team anticipates that with such a successful operative result she should regain near normal use of her left arm.  Most importantly this will mean that she is able to return to being a valued and active member of her community.

Mike