Victoria: A new life after trauma - hope through medical help

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Find out how five-year-old Victoria received a new quality of life through the help of the Friedensdorf International and the Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch. After serious fire injuries in Angola, she was treated comprehensively there. Read about your trip to recovery, the interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists and the hopeful perspective for your future.
Find out how five-year-old Victoria received a new quality of life through the help of the Friedensdorf International and the Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch. After serious fire injuries in Angola, she was treated comprehensively there. Read about your trip to recovery, the interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists and the hopeful perspective for your future. (Symbolbild/MB)

A little angel that suffers: Victoria from Angola is fighting for a new life!

Little Victoria, only five years old, experienced the incredible! In her home village in Angola, an insidious fire broke out that changed her face and head forever. She survived at the age of only three years, but the scars of her terrible experiences are deep. She fought in an Angolan hospital for over a year before the Friedensdorf became aware of her internationally and brought it to Germany to receive the urgently needed medical help here.

a fate that touches!

Victoria came to the Helios Clinic Berlin-Buch, where the experienced team around PD Dr. med. Oliver Thamm, chief physician of plastic and aesthetic surgery, did everything possible to enable her to have a normal childhood life. Despite brutal injuries such as the loss of an eye and an ear, the diagnosis was clear: there was hope! The beauty operations that Victoria had to go through in several interventions were extensive, but the determination of the treatment team was steadfast.

"We first had to supply their wounds and combat existing infections," said PD Dr. Thamm. "Especially the scar on the Upper Lid was a challenge because it could not properly close the remaining eye. A constant risk of their eyesight!" Victoria, who showed adventure and naivety in a foreign environment, was supported by a supervisor of the peace village, who spoke in her mother tongue Portuguese, soothing words and encouragement.

The backbone of the treatment was interdisciplinary cooperation in the clinic. Doctors of various departments worked hand in hand to help the brave girl. Heart surgeons, ophthalmologists and many other specialists stood by their side every step, because the damage to the face and body were serious.

a ray of hope in darkness

The first operations included painful interventions in which wounds were covered with skin grafts, followed by elaborate reconstructions. "In one of the first operations we had to sew their upper lid for five days!", The chief doctor recalled. "When she woke up, she couldn't see anything anymore. A real trauma for a child." But there was also reason to joy! Step by step, Victoria's condition improved and the worries about her mental health became less. "She is a happy child and likes to play with other children," said a supervisor proudly.

If you look into the future, there is still a lot to do. The reconstruction of Victoria's nose is still pending, and the possibility of an epithesis is still being discussed. "There is progress, but it will still require time and patience," explains Dr. Thamm, "she first has to deal with her new reality, but the chances of a better quality of life are good." The treatment was offered by the clinic per bono - a radiant example of lived humanity and top medical services in Germany.

Victoria will not forget - her courage, strength and support from the Helios Clinic and the Friedensdorf will help her leave the shadows of the past and to take a new way of life.