Patient: Rajeshwari
An untreated ear infection and a locked jaw had left its mark on a teenager, until doctors gave her a new lease on life.
Sixteen-year-old Rajeshwari comes from the village of Yaradona, in Karnataka state, south India. It is a sleepy, farming village where life is governed by seasons and the monsoon rains.
When we first met Rajeshwari in 2012, she had never eaten a proper meal. An untreated ear infection had locked her jaw when she was only six months old, rendering her unable to eat solid foods, or even speak properly, as she could not open her mouth.
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Her family was concerned that her facial deformity would end her chances of getting married – something that is almost unthinkable in conservative rural Indian society.
Severely malnourished, depressed, and weighing only 20kg, she had come to Narayana, where Dr Sandeep Rolson reconstructed her lower jaw, so that she could open her mouth. We revisit her two years later to find out how much her life has changed since that surgery.
Published On 9 Mar 2014