How Far Can a Skin Graft Go?

July 1, 2015 - The Possible Team

Skin grafting may not be considered a major procedure in urban hospitals, but for a rural healthcare system like ours, it’s not so easy.

17-year-old Pabitra lives with seven of her family members, including her parents and five brothers and sisters. Their small house only has one bedroom.

They’re from a small village that’s a day’s walk from Possible’s hospital hub. Farming is their main source of income, but like so many families in rural Nepal, it’s not enough to feed everyone. Pabitra’s father migrates to India to do manual labor and bring home additional money.

On Pabitra’s day off from school, she helps her family by collecting stones from the river so they can begin constructing a new room for their home. The walk to the river and back with one basket full of stones takes her eight hours — a full day’s commute.

One Saturday afternoon, Pabitra went to fetch stones with her siblings. They were on their way back home when a large rock rolled down from the hill and crushed her left foot.

“It hurt really bad. I thought I lost my foot,” said Pabitra. She had a deep cut, and was bleeding profusely.

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