CHENNAI: An Avadi girl with Parry-Romberg syndrome, a rare disorder that leads to atrophy of skin and soft tissues on the face, is set to get a facial reconstructive surgery after the intervention of the Tiruvallur district administration. The nine-year-old girl had reached out for help from the government through the media after having allegedly been discriminated against by teachers and classmates due to her facial disfigurement.
She said her classmates did not play with her and even her teachers treated her differently owing to her appearance, even refraining from touching objects that she touched without cleaning them first. After analysing her medical records, the Thiruvallur district administration held discussions with Madras Medical College and another private medical college, both of which were willing to perform the reconstructive surgery for free.
“We have asked her parents which option they would like to go with, and once they respond, we will guide them accordingly. From her medical records, we see that there may not be any risk of complications from the surgery,” said Alby John, Tiruvallur Collector, who visited the girl and her family on Wednesday. Other than the surgery, the district administration would help her with any future assistance, he added.
The Parry-Romberg syndrome causes hemifacial atrophyatrophy of the skin and soft tissues of one half of the face. The syndrome is rare, occurring in about one in seven lakh individuals. Sources close to the girl’s family said that they decided to go with the private hospital for the surgery and that she was admitted for tests on Wednesday.
A date for the surgery would be fixed shortly. The cost of the reconstructive surgery was expected to be around Rs 2 lakh, which will be borne by the hospital.