Cambodian girl receiving medical treatment in Taiwan goes home

2012/07/16 
Taipei

A four-year-old Cambodian girl brought to Taiwan two years ago for medical treatment returned to Cambodia Monday with her condition improved, one of her doctors said that day.

Reachny Mich, whose case of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome caused massive swelling of her right arm, was discovered by a Taiwanese medical team that visited Cambodia in 2010 to provide free medical services.

"After undergoing drug therapy and rehabilitation in Taiwan, the circumference of Mich's right arm has been reduced by around half from 32 cm," Chang Teh-kao, a pediatric hematologist who treated the girl, told CNA.

However, she will need to wear a tailor-made elastic bandage around her arm to prevent the swelling from recurring, said Chang, who works at Taichung Veterans General Hospital in central Taiwan.

Prior to treatment, Mich's right arm was four to five times larger than her left arm as a result of the syndrome, which causes the deformation of blood vessels and bones.

Chang said the girl is making steady progress and is expected to come back to the hospital within a year so that the doctors can monitor her situation.

The government allowed her to come to Taiwan for treatment after Sally Yu, one of the medical team volunteers, made repeated appeals on the girl's behalf.

However, Yu expressed concern about how Mich's condition will be handled in Cambodia, saying that the country lacks medical resources and that the swelling could recur if her rehabilitation is not properly supervised.

(By Christie Chen)
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