A little girl has finally had her much needed surgery after it was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five-year-old Jocelyn Ellison from Maple Ridge has a genetic deformity that causes persistent urinary tract infections. Her doctors hope that surgically removing the deformity — a ureteral stump — would stop the infections
However, it was deemed a non-essential surgery and was cancelled.
“The pain hurts because I have to go to the hospital to get a lot of needles,” Jocelyn told Global News previously. “And my kidneys are a bit hurt on the side and it makes me feel sad. I get all the tubes in me.”
Her mother, Caylie Valley, said Monday that her daughter’s medical team managed to make the surgery happen after the little girl shared her story with Global News — despite the recent postponement of elective surgeries.
Last month, the B.C. government announced that scheduled elective surgeries would be postponed beginning Jan. 4, as the province grapples with an outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The decision was taken, said Health Minister Adrian Dix, to help manage the pressure on hospitals and redeploy staff to where they’re needed most.
— With files from Elizabeth McSheffrey and John Hua
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