The health problems of the young woman from Bié began when she was still very young, around six years old. The difficulties in opening the mouth, eating and speaking were caused, according to Angop, by a tooth extraction that went wrong.
However, the surgery gave Celestina "joy and communication" back. For approximately three hours, the young woman was operated on by Agnelo Lucamba, a maxillofacial surgeon.
"This patient had been in this condition for 10 years, with immense difficulties opening her mouth, speaking and eating, but we managed to restore the girl's joy and communication," said the doctor, quoted by Angop.
The surgeon, who considered that this situation could have been avoided if the infection had been properly treated at the beginning, also spoke about the patient's condition, stating that she is lucid and showing improvements.
Now, the next step for Celestina Nguevela is physiotherapy, to ensure that there is no reduction in mouth opening.
The young woman says she has gained more self-esteem and confidence. "I gained more self-esteem, I gained more confidence. At school, in front of my colleagues, in the social environment, I can now eat normally", she said, quoted by Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA).
The surgical team was made up of two dozen specialists, including nursing technicians, anesthesiologists, maxillofacial surgery doctors and stretcher bearers.
Quoted by Angop, the doctor said that in 2023 more than 1000 complex operations were carried out in the field of maxillofacial, and currently more than 200 patients are on the waiting list for this operation.
