Physical therapy has proven to be a boon for a Haitian teenager who is recovering from surgery to correct a physical deformity caused by an injury when she was a 3-year-old in her native land, according to a published report.
Kethia Sirene was discovered by Bryan Cloyd earlier this year in Haiti, WSLS reports. Her right arm was fused to her body as a consequence of a burn she suffered as a 3-year-old. Cloyd was aided by his Southwest Virginia church and a local hospital to bring her to the U.S., where she underwent surgery.
"I think Kethia's doing very well," Cloyd told the publication as he has helped coordinate her surgical procedure and the follow-up work with people who hold physical therapy jobs. "The doctors have very high hopes that her arm is going to be strengthened and she'll have much better use of her arm than ever before."
Her two-plus month experience in the U.S. has introduced her to the Haitian community in Southwest Virginia and she has taken on singing in the church that helped her with the life-improving medical procedures.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly three of five physical therapists find gainful employment in hospitals or offices of other health practitioners.