While some children balk at household chores, Marilin Villalta may be excited about them. For the first time in her nine years she has hands that work.
Marilin and her mother, Eugenia Manueles, arrived in Little Rock Sept. 18 from a village near Trujillo, Honduras, as part of the medical mission sponsored by Christ the King Church in Little Rock.
Marilin was born with multiple congenital deformities of her hands and feet. She walked with a pronounced gait. Her left arm had no strength; her right arm was her good one, but her right hand consisted of a conjoined little finger and ring finger and a mass instead of a thumb and the other two fingers. She had been seen by Dr. Laurie Hughes in Honduras during the June 2012 mission. Hughes thought Marilin might be helped by a specialist surgeon in Little Rock.
The preparations to get a visa and passport for Marilin and her mother, approval by American Airlines for complimentary transportation through their Miles for Kids program, approval for pro bono services at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, coordination between the hospital and surgeon, and arrangements for a host family were completed in the summer of 2013, and the surgery was scheduled.
Dr. Teresa Wyrick-Glover, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity work, volunteered to perform the surgery. Two days after Marilin arrived the surgery was done: Marilin now had two separate fingers, as well as a partial thumb. The surgery was successful, but the work of other volunteer professionals — and that of Marilin herself — was just beginning.
While Marilin’s hand was in a cast, occupational and physical therapists at Arkansas Children’s Hospital worked with her to build strength in her weak and mostly unused left arm, to the point where she is able to use it for the first time. Gary Horton of Horton’s Orthotics and Prosthetics made a splint for her foot so she could walk more easily and she received therapy for her legs.
When the cast came off, Dr. Marc Willey, a specialist in hand rehabilitation and therapy, made a splint for her hand to keep her fingers apart. Marilin received therapy to help her use her new hand.
The host family for Marilin and her mother, Al and Isabel Adams of Little Rock, provided transportation to therapy and medical appointments. Isabel, originally from Cuba, helped with translation at some of the appointments, as well as helping the two understand life in the United States.
Marilin and her mother returned to Trujillo Oct. 24, but the medical mission team hopes to see them when they return in 2014.
“The (mission) doctors don’t seek out patients to bring to Little Rock, but they know it’s an option,” mission director Sandee Haslauer said.
She said most of those who have been brought here are children, although three or four have been adults. Most have had orthopedic needs.
Christ the King is seeking volunteers for its January and early summer missions. There is a special need for doctors and other medical personnel in June, but there are jobs for people with many types of skills. The mission also includes construction and education projects. For more information, contact Haslauer at (501)) 225-6774, ext. 282, or visit www.ctkhondur asmission.com.
