She was born with eight fingers on one hand. Her family traveled to America for the surgery

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (InvestigateTV) - A family traveled from Turkey to St. Louis for their daughter’s surgery to treat a rare condition affecting fewer than 100 people worldwide.

Elisa, an 18-month-old, was born with eight fingers on her left hand. She was diagnosed with Ulnar Dimelia, also known as Mirror Hand Syndrome.

“Mirror Hand is incredibly uncommon, and even surgeons like myself who take care of a great deal of kids almost never see this in their career. So, it’s really uncommon. Numbers are hard to come by, but one in a million or less is probably about right,” said Dr. Charles Goldfarb, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

The condition leaves patients without a radius bone. This means significant limitations in wrist and elbow motion and preserved shoulder movements.

“From the very beginning, he was really warm, genuine, and gave us a lot of hope. Honestly, the trust and support he gave us played a huge role in our decision to come to St. Louis,” said Emircan Buga, Elisa’s father.

Communication and care

Emircan and his wife, Gulten, only speak Turkish and used a translator. They said the language difference never got in the way of their daughter receiving care.

“Initially, I had conversations with them, from afar, but we talked on the phone and we did FaceTime, just communicating about her condition,” Goldfarb said.

“They provided us with immense support regarding every problem we might encounter or face along the way. We would like to thank them for the support they provided, both financially and psychologically,” Emircan said.

Through St. Louis Children’s International Free Care Fund, funded through the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, Elisa’s family connected with the orthopedic surgery team.

The surgery

On Jan. 30, Goldfarb led a team that completed a three-hour reconstructive surgery.

“And it’s so fun for me as a surgeon, who interacts with kids young and old, but at an early point in their life, to watch what happens after. And I do think a surgery like this is life-changing and will really help her succeed in all aspects,” Goldfarb said.

Elisa is now recovering.

“One of the things that makes me so excited in taking care of young children is seeing what they will accomplish later in life,” Goldfarb said.

Emircan said, “From now on, she will continue her life with more confidence and courage. But when we look back, we will miss that hand because that’s how the story began.”