Journey to save a limb for Abraham

My name is Marissa Baum, and I am a Physician Assistant at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who works with Dr. John Wyrick, an Orthopeadic Surgeon who specializes in Limb Reconstruction. Dr. Wyrick first met Abraham in Mwanza, Tanzania 2 years ago while on a humanitarian trip in South Africa.

Abraham Madenge is 40 yrs old, husband and father of two children ages 5 and 7. In 2019, he was involved in a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Mwanza. He was injured while riding to his workplace at the bank. In Africa, motorcycles are the primary means of transportation. He suffered an open tibia fracture that required immediate medical attention. He endured multiple surgeries, including an application of a ringed external fixator by Dr. Wyrick himself during his trip. Abraham's care was transitioned to the local Orthopaedists for continued treatment and follow up. He continued to struggle with persistent infection. Since then, Abraham has struggled to walk with ongoing pain and use of crutches from his lack of adequate resources in Africa. He lost his job at the bank after his injury and hasn't been able to work since then with no way to support his family. After two years of no improvement, Abraham reached out to Dr. Wyrick to seek his help to save his leg.

After submitting his story to the hospital administrators, and gaining the support of the Orthopaedic Department and Anesthesia Staff, we were granted permission to get him to the U.S. and plan out his limb salvage. We proceeded with a 4-hour surgery to apply a ringed external fixator (for the second time) to transport his tibia bone into an ankle fusion after cutting out 4 inches of infected bone to regain his overall length. He was in this fixator for 6 months with virtually no weight bearing. His bone once again did not heal due to history of infection and poor bone quality. He recently required an additional 5 hour surgery to remove the fixator and place an internal rod for support. He will continue to take time to heal and ensure this surgery is a long-term success. He is still unable to put weight on the leg and will need some more time to rehab his leg, ensure bone healing, and get back to walking so he can return home to his family and work. While receiving treatment at UCMC, the University of Cincinnati provided a small studio apartment to accommodate him for the first 6 months. After that time he could no longer stay and had to look elsewhere for support. Dr. Wyrick researched local housing and after numerous road blocks, was able to finalize a shared unit in Finneytown, approximately 10 minutes from the hospital. Since all resources have been exhausted within our means, Dr. Wyrick himself has taken on the financial responsibility of providing food and housing for Abraham throughout his stay since he arrived 8 months ago with minimal outside help. Turns out Abraham's journey has been prolonged and more complicated than initially thought. We are hoping to gain support for Abraham until he is well enough to return home. On behalf of Dr. Wyrick and myself, we ask if you can donate any amount small or large to help offset the costs for Abraham's care, housing, and food. The donations will go towards his current housing fees and food and help him get back home to hopefully get a fresh start and find work.