University of Virginia Health System

BOLIVIAN BABY GETS LIFE-SAVING SURGERY AT U.VA. HEALTH SYSTEM

Twenty-five hours is a long time to be on an airplane, but not too long when your baby needs a life-saving surgical procedure that is not available in your home country of Bolivia. This was the case for 23-year-old Maria Almanza de Morales whose 9-month-old daughter, Jordan, had a congenital deformity. Along with Bolivian physician Dr. Ruth Turner, Almanza de Morales and baby Jordan came to the University of Virginia Health System for treatment. The Health System arranged to perform Jordan's surgery at no cost to her family and to show Turner how to care for Jordan once they return to Santa Cruz, a city in central Bolivia.

Jordan had a condition called imperforate anus, meaning she was born with an abnormal opening leading from her rectum. A tract of skin covered the area where the anus should have been. On Friday, September 21, all of that changed for Jordan. Her hour-long surgery was successful.

What we did was remove the abnormal tract of skin then reroute the rectal tissue through Jordan's muscle complex, leading to a normal position, said Dr. Eugene McGahren, U.Va. pediatric surgeon who performed Jordan's surgery. Then we closed the skin and tissue in front so that after a period of time it should look and function normally.

Jordan's road to normal was a harrowing one at first. She and her mother were on their plane from Bolivia when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. Their flight was redirected, delaying Jordan's procedure. However, Almanza de Morales was determined to get her daughter to U.Va. Health System and never feared for her safety. Now she enjoys seeing Jordan's progress.

Before she couldn't lay down on her stomach because she was always full and she couldn't eat certain foods, said Almanza de Morales. Now she can lie on her tummy, she crawls around better and can even eat Cheerios.

Almanza de Morales and Jordan were able to get to the United States with the help of Mission of Hope Bolivia, a small hospital founded by Cindy Thacker, a Charlottesville woman. They obtained medical visas for Jordan and Almanza de Morales, and American Airlines provided them with free transportation.

Jordan is recovering well, but will require many follow-up visits to make sure her repaired anorectal area develops as it should. In the meantime, Jordan is growing fast and may be walking when she returns to Bolivia at the end of November, said Almanza de Morales.

October 15, 2001