A Papua New Guinean teenager has had successful surgery to de-fuse her jaw, after she arrived in Brisbane last week for a second shot at the life-changing procedure.
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Vascolynna Agamo first came to Australia as a three-year-old in 2003 for surgery to correct her fused jaw, which was caused by a relatively rare condition which causes bone growth.
That surgery was a success and she returned to PNG, however in the intervening years her condition again worsened and Ms Agamo, now 18, has again travelled to Brisbane for second round of surgery.
Her operation was on Saturday and her father, Duane Agamo, who travelled with his daughter for both trips, said it was a great success.
“It was a three-hour operation, it didn’t get as difficult as they had thought previously,” Mr Agamo said.
“After the operation she was a bit uncomfortable due to the pain, but now she’s doing very well.
"I got my first good night sleep (on Monday night) after the doctor texted me to say everything was healing well.”
Maxillofacial surgeon John Arvier spearheaded the push for Ms Agamo to return for a second round of surgery and assisted on the weekend procedure with fellow maxillofacial surgeon Geoff Findlay performing lead.
Ahead of the surgery, Dr Arvier said the the operation was relatively simple but could have a massive effect on Ms Agamo’s quality of life.
“She breathes through a tube in the front of her throat and she manages to get enough food through the gap in her teeth to survive,” he said.
“All the things we take for granted, like cleaning your teeth, kissing someone, eating a normal diet, even vomiting, are a problem with this condition.”
After the surgery Ms Agamo was craving ice cream, however the doctors want to progressively move her onto more solid food to ensure the second round of surgery is effective and there is no need for a third.
She was originally brought to Queensland under a Rotary Club program, however was no longer eligible for it due to her age, so the local Rotary Club of Brisbane (High Rise) banded together to ensure she could come a second time.
All of her medical expenses were donated by the Wesley Hospital where the procedure was performed.
Ms Agamo was still in the intensive care unit on Tuesday but was due to be moved to a ward bed by Wednesday.
Her father said she was keen to leave hospital as soon as possible so she can take advantage of her short time in Australia, with the pair returning to PNG on March 12.
“I’ve been saying it’s not once in a lifetime, but twice,” Mr Agamo said.
“It’s a team of wonderful and lovely people who supported us all the way here, they never forgot us.”
Ms Agamo, who dropped out of school after Year 7 due to bullying because of her appearance, now reportedly plans to go back to school when she returns to PNG.
