All Together Now International










 
 
 
     
Boy on road to recovery after surgery
Sunday, January 15, 2006
 

An 11-year-old Tibetan boy visiting Boulder is recovering from a second surgery to correct a potentially fatal spinal disorder.

Jigme Yong-Song, suffering from severe scoliosis, is expected to remain in the intensive care unit at the Medical Center of Aurora for several more days.

Doctors on Monday attempted to surgically straighten his back, adding two medal rods and bone graft taken from his hip. They also removed approximately 1 inch of bone from seven ribs. The surgery began at 6:30 a.m. and lasted until 1 p.m.

Jigme's first surgery last week was halted due to blood loss and doctors had to remove a blood clot.

The spinal disorder, if not corrected, likely would have caused Jigme's spine to eventually cork-screw enough to crush his internal organs, according to doctors.

"Without the surgeries, he wouldn't live more than three years," said Jennifer Cleary, founder of the Niwot-based All Together Now International, a non-profit group that helped bring Jigme to Boulder.

The next step is to get Jigme off of a ventilator, a tube that goes down his throat to help him breathe.

"His lungs are weak right now, but his prognosis is good," Cleary said.

Rehabilitation should take about a year, said Jigme's orthopedic surgeon, John Odom. Jigme will have to wear a body brace for about six months and undergo another surgery to remove the metal rods that are helping straighten his spine.

He will then return to his home, a rural village in Tibet, where his parents remain. Cleary said she plans to send an update to his parents, who might not receive notice for two weeks.

Cleary said Jigme plans to be an English teacher and travel. He is attending Casey Middle School during his stay in the United States.

Jigme is the fourth Tibetan youth All Together and the Medical Center of Aurora has aided.

In 1998, a similar operation on Nima Dongzhou, 17, received a great deal of media attention.

Cleary said he has since returned to Tibet, where he is working toward his goal of becoming a doctor.

"He is back in school studying," she said. "He is a complete success story from beginning to end."



 

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