Patient Stories Ethiopia - Zwedi Gebeyehu Re-birth

•  Before
•  After

At the age of 4 years old, Zwedie Gebeyehu was afflicted with tuberculosis which eventually spread to his spine. His poor parents tried everything from traditional herb application to injections to message-therapy. Nothing helped and he grew weaker and weaker and become crunched over in pain.

This infection also spread to his groin, creating an abscess that required surgical drainage by a local doctor. He was given medical treatment to clear the tuberculosis, but by the age of 16 the TB had destroyed his vertebra and caused a 120 degree collapsing deformity that rendered him crippled and unable to do things boys his age did. It also caused severe breathing problems. Simple chores became a problem, and keeping up in school became difficult.

Dr Richard Hodes referred him to the FOCOS team for treatment. After his surgery, Zwedie grew about 4 inches and was almost unrecognizable to his family back home! Below are some pictures of the surgery and an x-ray of Zwedie's spine after surgery.