Story 25 – Zhen Zhen

Liang Wen Zhen, aged 13 and was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.  He lives with his parents, grandfather, and his 2 siblings in Guangxi. Wen Zhen had lower limb deformities which were worsening his walking abilities, caused him knee pain, and he often fell at school as his gait (manner of walking) was not stable. With a more extensive consultation in Hong Kong, it was revealed that Wen Zhen had limited flexibility in his hamstrings, hips, and knees. He also had bilateral rocker bottom foot deformity, which meant that the sole of his feet were curved outwards. The plan for surgery was to have a bilateral hamstring release and semitendinosus transfer (to improve knee extension and relieve tightening of lower limb muscles/ligaments/tendons), bilateral distal femur extension osteotomy (to straighten the knees) and patellar advancement (to correct and restore to normal knee mechanics), bilateral release of hip contracture (to improve hip flexibility), and lastly, bilateral subtalar joint fusion (to correct painful deformities in the subtalar joint). With these surgeries, Wen Zhen was able to walk more comfortably, and experience less pain, achieving a higher quality of life.

The family earning, not only to feed their daily necessities, but also to pay for Wen Zhen’s medical bills and the medication for his maternal grandmother.  With the help of the Cornerstone Association and SRDC, he was able to have his surgeries in the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital in September, 2019 and returned home in December.