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Monday, June 16, 2008
Flashback: Amaya Hess 2 Years After Violent Pit Bull Attack
 Indianapolis Girl Making Strides
Indianapolis, IN - In the spring of 2006, Amaya Hess was on life support, swollen, and her disfiguring wounds wrapped. When she first got to the hospital, she was missing the entire right side of her face, nose, ear, eye, everything was gone. A pit bull had snatched Amaya out of her stroller and had shaken the toddler like a rag doll before adults could get the animal to stop.
Amaya was still in a coma when plastic surgeons created a scalp for her with bio-engineered tissue. She did not wake up for 55 days. During this time, doctors continued surgical procedures, and like the family, prayed that Amaya would wake up. Amazingly, she did and was transferred to pediatric rehabilitation. In order to win a bed on this unit, a patient must be physically devastated. Amaya fit the bill. After intensive therapy, she left the unit, but doctors were still unsure. "Two-year-olds are mainly interested in playing and being with other people. They are not too interested in how they look at this point," one said. That awareness starts a year later, when Amaya enters a developmental pre-school. The teacher introduces Amaya to the class and lets a classmate feel Amaya's head. The teacher says it feels just like the skin on your arm. Dr. Sood plans to have Amaya's head covered with hair-bearing scalp by the time she reaches kindergarten. The process is called tissue expansion. Devices similar to breast implants are placed under Amaya's existing scalp and slowly filled with fluid. As the implant is filled over time, it stretches the tissue, just like in a pregnancy. It requires multiple procedures over the course of a year. When complete, the plan is to pull the hair bearing scalp over the top of her head and stretch to Amaya's right ear and cover her scars. By the fall of 2007, Dr. Sood reports that two thirds of the area that didn't have hair is now covered with hair. He calls it a "major victory." Amaya likes the results too. She looks into the mirror and models her blonde hair, turning around like a proud princess until she sees her scar.
Since the attack, Bobbie Jo says her daughter has "woke up, grown up, and is not letting anything hold her back." She is a four-year-old at play. She says, "I am not ashamed that she was attacked by a dog. I am not ashamed that she has one and a half eyes. I am not ashamed that she has one ear. You know, I am not ashamed at all that everyone turns around to look at us, because you are looking at an angel." DogsBite.org thinks the entire Hess family are angels, as are the Indiana Plastic Surgeons that helped heal Amaya. Amaya Hess Trust FundHuntington Bank 45 N. Pennsylvania St. Indianapolis, IN. 46204 |
posted by bitbypit | permalink |
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3 comments:
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6/16/2008 7:07 AM | Flag as abusive
Two years ago after Amaya's attack the public safety committee of the city-county council held a hearing to consider some form of BSL. The Indy Pit Crew, a group of pit bull owners, was asked to speak to the committee. The woman who headed the group referred to another little girl who was attacked by two bulldogs in a park at about the same time. This child was talking happily to the evening news.Amaya Hess had died twice on the way to the hospital and was in a medically induced coma. The pit bull advocate shrugged her shoulders referring to the the attacks,(these things happen) not mentioning the difference in injuries. The pit bull in Amaya's case had not been cruelly treated nor ever met a dog fighter. One pit bull advocate said she thought the dog needed more exercise. Can you imagine owning or wanting a type dog that will kill someone because of not enough exercise? I know, genetics don't count.
by
6/16/2008 9:24 AM | Flag as abusive
Pit bulls are not worth it... not worth the pain, anguish and disfigurement these children suffer. We will never remove all life’s risks, but at the same time we can’t allow ourselves to get stuck on stupid. It’s pointless for communities to be reactive. Legislation doesn’t help victims after the fact.
Blessings to the forward thinking leaders who can shut the door on maulings BEFORE they have a pile of reports to reference. Every incident like this is another one too many.
by
6/17/2008 3:13 AM | Flag as abusive
The story never mentioned if the pit bull owner contributed to Amanda's stratospheric medical bills. I'm guessing he/she didn't have a pot to pee in....
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