Kasih’s Journey

Well, it looks like Kasih’s Journey is all go!

Further discussions with the Australian CranioFacial Unit (ACFU) have given us a better idea of what Kasih’s surgical pathway will be like. When she arrives in Adelaide, she will spend her first week seeing a huge variety of specialists. As well as Prof David’s Plastic Surgery team, she will be assessed by Ophthalmologists, Dental and Orthodontists, Ear Nose & Throat surgeons, Paediatricians, Neurosurgeons, and Audiology and Speech language therapists. A critical role will be played by her Paediatric Anaesthetist, who will provide her airway while under anaesthetic, so allowing the surgeons to operate in this area.

Once she has seen these specialists, they can develop a “plan” to sequence her surgery and therapy.
Now that he has looked at her photos, Prof David has decided that she will need an approach called “tissue expansion”. This involves placing a silicone balloon beneath her skin, and then each day slowly filling it with saline to “grow” extra skin which then can be used to stretch across to where they need it.

Read more at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or go to Wikipedia to see a picture of the device Prof David will use on Kasih.

The tissue expansion procedure would be the first step, and would be in place for 3-4 weeks (being filled with saline daily) before Kasih is taken to theatre. So it looks like her surgery would then be late October or the first week of November.

With all going well, the ACFU team hope to have Kasih home in time for Christmas!What a wonderful Christmas present she will have for her Daddy as she returns to her waiting village!

Go Kasih!

with love Nicole