Fidel O., 8

Fidel is the youngest child in his family. He lives with his mother and three siblings in a small, single-room mud house. His mother, a single parent, is the sole provider for the family, earning a living through casual labor such as tilling land and weeding other people’s farms. Despite the struggles, she manages to provide for them on a hand-to-mouth basis. She describes Fidel as a cheerful and friendly boy who easily makes friends. Fidel himself dreams of becoming a doctor when he grows up. One afternoon, after returning from school and changing his clothes, Fidel told his mother, together with his cousin, that they were going to collect firewood near their home. About 30 minutes later, his mother suddenly heard him crying out for help. She rushed out and found that Fidel had slipped into a small ditch, leaving his thigh in an awkward position. In a panic, she quickly flagged down a passing boda boda, which rushed them to the hospital for medical care.

Fidel was brought to the hospital with complaints of pain in his right leg; x-ray imaging showed he had suffered a fracture of the right femur. He was duly admitted through the orthopedic department. He was treated with tramadol and paracetamol, and his leg was cast. He stayed in the ward for a couple of months; thereafter, he was discharged on orals, and a clinic was booked for him to come back so that the cast could be removed. A follow up phone call a few days after discharge confirmed that Fidel is doing well

Fidel suffered a fracture of the right femur, he has has a fair to good prognosis. With proper immobilization, surgical or orthopedic intervention as required, and supportive care at Siaya County Referral Hospital, bone healing is expected to occur well due to the child’s age and strong healing capacity. He will require adequate pain management, monitoring for complications such as infection or malunion, and physiotherapy to restore full mobility. With consistent follow-up and adherence to treatment, he is likely to regain normal function of the limb and resume daily activities, though recovery may take several weeks to months