Yulce–back surgery
Yulce had an 11 hour surgery at the Shriner’s Hospital in L.A. to correct her curved spine. The curvature of her spine was a result of her physical growth (upward) and the contractures of her burn injuries on her face, neck and chest. The result was scoliosis–the curvature continued to get worse. The spinal surgery was on January 10, 2008. She is now recovering and standing upright. It is clear that she is greatly improved but she will face another year of treatment.
Yulce had been recovering in Indonesia for about a year following her first trip to the U.S. for the initial reconstructive surgery to repair the burn injuries. I have written a lot about her burn surgeries (see the archive or web-site). She has received three surgeries at the Grossman Burn Center to repair some scars on her face, chest and torso.
Yulce is a very strong person and has had 15 surgeries so far. She will be a new person when she returns to her family in Indonesia. I especial thank all the “heroes” who have made her bright future possible. A short list would be–Dr. Peter and Rebecca Grossman and his staff, Barbara Friedman and her staff at the Children’s Burn Foundation, Tina Johnson, Pastor Adinata and the people of Gereja Bethel Indonesia in L.A. Peter and Esther Scarborough and the medical staff for IFC.