Patient Travels from Liberia for Surgery at Curtis National Hand Center

Nelson Gargard ran through flames to escape a devastating house fire, but third degree burns left him with scarring so severe, he could no longer use his hands and arms. Nelson traveled 5000 miles from his home in Liberia to Baltimore, Maryland, where experts from the Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, performed complex microsurgery to release the contractures that kept his limbs in a fixed position. Hand surgeons, Ryan Katz, MD, Derek Masden, MD, and James Higgins, MD, performed several procedures to restore function to his right hand and arm. Nelson hopes he may now return to teaching in his home country.

Watch this clip from WBAL-TV 11 News to hear more of the story. To learn more about The Curtis National Hand Center, visit https://www.medstarunionortho.org/spe....