A 25-year-old woman from Indonesia has returned to her home town of Jayapura in Papua with a new look on life, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Williamstown.
Living with neurofibromatosis since she was two and surviving an attempt to kill her, she was left with a severe leg deformity and benign tumors across her body and face.
Natalia was first discovered by a missionary dental surgeon Dr Miguel Lopez, who discovered local children stoning her as an 11-year-old child because of her appearance.
With the support of a number of Rotary clubs, including Williamstown and Bendigo South, she received surgery for her facial disfigurement in 2019.
With the support of Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS), Natalia was brought back to Melbourne for leg surgery to correct the results of an untreated break in her left leg.
As Natalia’s operation was complex it was not known whether amputation of her lower leg was necessary.
However, the surgeon, performed the operation free of charge and successfully without amputation.
Natalia then recovered and learnt to walk at a Child First Foundation retreat in Kilmore.
After being fitted with orthotics, she was able to walk unassisted and returned home to Jaypura earlier this month.
Rotary Club of Williamstown’s Peter Gray said Natalia was “overjoyed” with the success of her surgeries and the support from Williamstown and other clubs across the country.
“Without Williamstown’s assistance, we wouldn’t have been able to the things we did,” he said.
Mr Gray said club members Jo Walker, Norm England and Damien Hynes were especially generous towards Natalia during her stay in Victoria.
Matthew Sims
