Manuel Altahona had a defect that restricted his movement, and it was his dream and Christmas wish to be able to live without it getting in the way. Our United2Cure Team flew to meet Manuel at Clinica Reina Catalina Hospital in Barranquilla, Colombia. The CEO of the hospital is also on the Board of Directors of the United2Cure foundation. This facilitated the mission greatly as we were given full use of the entire 7th floor to treat children with A.L.L. As the Anesthesiologist during the case, Dr. Gabriel Mena was able to witness the institution, nurses, OR’s, equipment, etc. all working together in order to accomplish the surgery that would help Manuel.
Dr. Jesse Selber, M.D., MPH is an expert plastic surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center and also a member of the Board of Directors of the United2Cure foundation. Dr. Selber performed the surgical procedure by releasing tendons and decreasing a flap from the chest skin and muscle to cover the defect. Manuel now has greater than a 50% range of motion in his arms and can play as a normal kid. Manuel’s dream came true.