A young Ghanaian migrant who suffered nightmarish conditions during his migration to Italy which left him unable to open his mouth has had his ability to eat restored.

The teenager has been unable to eat solids since April. His jaw had been fractured in several places as a result of beatings, reportedly in migrant detention facilities in Libya.

A hospital in the town of Caserta in southern Italy reconstructed his jaw through cutting-edge surgery, the first of its kind to be performed in Italy. The young man will soon be able to smile, eat, speak, and breathe in a normal way again.

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Malnourished and jaw broken in several places

According to the surgeon Pasquale Piombino, who was head of the medical team alongside his colleagues Massimo Robiony and Salvatore Sembronio, said: "The young man came to us several months ago after his case was reported to us by an association in Castel Volturno, where he was hosted."

"He was in very bad shape, with several fractures. In addition to his jaw, he was suffering a great deal from knee pain, making it difficult to move. He was also very thin, since he consumed only liquids due to the fractures to his jaw," the doctor explained to the press on December 9.

"We sought to help him from a human standpoint, having him come every 15 days and feeding him intravenously."

The tests conducted at the Caserta hospital showed that his jaw had been severely damaged due to beatings. His story is similar to that of many migrants who, to survive, decide to leave to Europe, crossing the desert to arrive in Libya. Often they end up in local jails where they are abused, beaten, and at times suffer severe torture. When he arrived in Italy, the young man was not able to open his mouth at all.

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Surgery successful, initial signs of recovery

The only way to enable the young man to live normally again was to conduct a surgery that had never been conducted before. The medical team under Piombino did a bilateral replacement of the temporo-mandibular joints with biocompatible titanium, tailor-designed and created through 3D printing technology.

The operation was entirely successful, according to Piombino, "thanks to the integration between advanced technology and an approach centered on the patient and his needs."

"This was an important achievement," the surgeon noted, which was "the result of collaboration and synergies between the institutions, the public health system, and the humanitarian organizations that support patients coming from difficult contexts."

In a few days he will also be able to smile

A few days after the operation, the young man showed signs of recovery that were "very significant".

"Rehabilitation will enable the gradual restoration of joint functions," Piombino continued. "He can already open his mouth and this seems like a dream. In a few days he will also be able to smile."

The surgeon added that the smile of the 18-year-old "is a smile that will be ours as well, satisfied with having given him the possibility of recovering dignity and hope after an experience of so much suffering and marginalization."

Author: Antonio Pisani