Frank's Story...

Frank Kalulu is a bright, young boy who lives in the village of Kamuli. Over three years ago, he suffered an injury to his leg that has never healed properly. The doctor determined that Frank has Osteomyelitis and required surgery to give him any chance of walking on his leg again.

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone. Bacteria can infect the bone through the blood or by spreading from nearby infected tissue or an open wound. If the infected bone is not treated adequately, the blood flow to the bone is decreased and part of the bone may die. This makes the infection very difficult to treat, as antibiotics are unable to reach the infection in the dead bone to kill the bacteria. Therefore, surgery is often necessary to remove pieces of dead bone. This is followed by a hospitalization for IV antibiotics for a few weeks. Hearts & Hope raised funds to pay for the surgery and follow up care.

Unfortunately, the infection in Frank’s femur did extensive damage to the bone and to the hip joint. He also has a risk of recurrent infections of the bone even after he has been treated. Because of the damage his bone and joint sustained, Frank will be unlikely to ever walk completely normally again. However, treatment with surgery and antibiotics, with close follow up, allowed him to have much less pain and he can live a more normal life and return to schooling.

Frank receiving treatment...

Before & After...