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Girl With Severely Bowed Legs Gets Life-Changing Surgery To Correct Her Deformity

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Girl With Severely Bowed Legs Gets Life-Changing Surgery To Correct Her Deformity

Congratulations Valerie, your legs is back and better!

Adorable photos have revealed the transformation of a young teenage girl whose bowed legs has forced her to drop out of school after being heavily bullied.

Valerie’s limbs had arched outwardly as she got older, making it quite difficult for her to walk. From Cotonou in Benin, West Africa, the schoolgirl was selected for her condition and in turn, begged her family to pull her out of classes.

Planned on returning to school, surgeons from the Charity, Mercy Ships cut the bones in each of her legs, untwisted the limbs and set them back in place using plaster casts.

Valerie, 14, limbs had arched outwardly as she got older, making it quite difficult for her to walk

Mercy Ships normally uses hospital ships to deliver free health care services to several less-developed parts of the world.

Working as an apprentice in her uncle’s tailoring shop in a bid to get busy and to bring in money for her impoverished family, Valerie experienced a post-surgery rehab for four months, during which she learned how to read.

From Cotonou in Benin, West Africa, the schoolgirl was selected for her condition and in turn, begged her family to pull her out of classes

Valerie became one of 76 children to receive free surgery on a hospital ship

‘I was very happy and I told myself I no longer want to be a seamstress. But  I want to go back to school. I am desperate to learn how to read, a friend on-board gave me a few alphabet pages for me to trace them out.’

‘The next day I told her I needed more to read. Not long after, my legs were strong enough for me to go home. Going back to school would be great. People will say, ‘Is this not the same girl. Her legs are straight.’ Valerie said happily.

Valerie experienced a post-surgery rehab for four months, during which she learned how to read

Bow-leggedness is, however, a deformity marked by an outward bowing at the knee, giving the limb an appearance of an archer’s bow.

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