It looks painful – and the doctors assure that Leang Seangly was really, really brave. The moments of shock are still written all over the 13-year-old's face: She was hit by a car while crossing the road and hurled away. The bones of her lower right leg were shattered and pierced her leg. The open fracture caused unimaginable pain.
At the children's hospital in Siem Reap, a team stabilised her bones with an external fixator - this is a kind of pin that protrudes from the tibia. During an operation, the device is fixed into the bone with long screws. This fixes the individual fragments created by the fracture in the right place.
For the bones to grow back together well, rest and a lot of patience are now needed. The doctors estimate that it will take three months to heal - after that, Leang Seangly can put full weight on her leg again. The mother is always by the girl's side and tries to distract her with comforting words.
