Meet Lusawana

Since birth, many people unkindly called him “Big foot, small foot”, yet little Lusawana has never been ashamed to show off his foot.

Bright and early on a sunny Saturday morning, little Lusawana (4), and his mom arrive at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH). They took two taxis to get there, and his mom is relieved and thrilled that her little boy would finally have his surgery done after waiting for 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This would be his third surgery since his birth and Lusawana falls asleep soundly as he waits to be wheeled into surgery.

Pregnancy is a time of promise. It’s a time of expectation: a time to look forward to a new life that holds so much potential. For many moms-to-be, it is also a time that worry and concern for her child’s wellbeing can stir up a plethora of feelings and fears. During her pregnancy, Lusawana’s mother was diagnosed with stress that was severe enough to put both her and her baby’s health at risk. To ensure her safety and the safety of her unborn child, she was scheduled for a caesarian delivery at Mowbray Maternity Hospital. It was only at his birth that doctors discovered the abnormal growth on little Lusawana’s right foot.

Doctors explained to the concerned mother that Lusawana was born with an extraordinarily large, big toe. Parts of his right foot did not have a normal bone structure, which caused his toes to grow out of proportion. This condition is called microdiscectomy and with the help of surgical experts and medical guidance, Lusawana would be able to have his foot restructured with specialised surgery to avoid inflammation in his foot, and that would pre-empt the possibility of any inflammation spreading should it not be treated.

The brave little boy has already undergone three surgeries since 2017, when doctors removed the excess skin and restructured his big toe. In 2019, he had another operation to further help curb the abnormal growth and this operation also served to prevent inflammation in his foot. Lusawana was then scheduled for further surgery in 2022 to help restructure his foot so that it may fit into shoes and help him adapt to a more comfortable life. However, the concerned mother knew that as her little one prepares for school next year that 2022 would be too far away; she wanted his foot to be healed by then and have him settle into a new school environment without distractions. After sharing her concerns with the medical professionals, she was happy to receive a date on the Weekend Waiting List Initiative (WWLI) which aims to reduce reduce patient waiting times by offering an extra day of surgery (Saturdays) to the Hospital’s operating schedule. When a child needs surgery, emergency, life threatening, and complex procedures are prioritised. For those children needing fewer complex procedures, however, this means that they would have to go on a waiting list.

His mother says: “Lusawana has never worn shoes and he adapted to living life without them, but now that he is growing, the school will ask him to wear shoes and he will become more conscious of his own body. I’m so happy that he is receiving the treatment.”

At such an early age, little Lusawana has already overcome so much, and tolerated the trauma of being singled out at his creche and in the community where they reside. He has never shied away from remarks, but rather embraced the unkind and cruel comments. The surgery would improve his mobility, make wearing shoes comfortable, and reduce the health risk of inflammation and infection as he grows. Most importantly, it would build his confidence to grow into a thriving man and fulfill his dreams one day.

Lusawana’s surgery was successful and after spending a few more hours recovering in his hospital bed, the brave little boy was discharged and will visit the hospital again for close observation in 2022.

It is proven that therapeutic play will exponentially aid in the holistic healing for little Lusawana. The use of multi-textures in a playground will help his toes explore the various sensory types and improve his mobility. Doctors believe that children who are a little different, experience tremendous trauma, both emotionally and physically. Through play, however, little patients escape to an imaginary world far away from anxiety, bullying and emotional stress – they can dream and be anything in the moment!

Help the Children’s Hospital Trust develop a safe and stimulating new Therapeutic Playground at RCWMCH that will cater for children of all ages and abilities including outpatients like Lusawana, their caregivers and other family members (siblings etc), as well as inpatients who are well enough to leave the ward with supervision.

Donate today and help us make these little patients’ dreams come true. 100% of your donations, will help build a magical, interactive and colourful Therapeutic Playground where these little ones will heal and develop as they play. They will play again, because of you. They will laugh again, because of you. They will dream bigger, because of you. Because of you, their dreams matter.

When you donate to the Children’s Hospital, you are part of the many miracles, and you make their dreams possible!

Thank you for helping us make little patients like Lusawana’s dreams come true! Every cent that you donate will directly go towards the creation of the Therapeutic playground – an extension of the new Emergency Centre.