Woman from Ukraine travels to San Francisco for special surgery
by Melanie Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO - Olga Vivchar, 19, traveled 6,000 miles alone from a village in Ukraine for surgery designed to save her right foot.
The young woman, who spoke almost no English when she arrived in late January, has been walking on crutches for the last seven years due to a rare vascular disorder that local surgeons hope they have cured.
Despite three surgeries this summer, the worst-case scenario could require the amputation of her foot, said Dr. Gregory Buncke, Ms. Vivchar's surgeon and co-director of the Buncke Clinic at California Pacific Medical Center's Davies Campus.
"Not a lot of people are willing to go through" what Olga has, Dr. Buncke said. "She's determined to save her foot."
After the last surgery on July 18, Ms. Vivchar fell ill, likely from the anesthesia, she said, and was unable to eat for two weeks. Now she's eating lots of fruit, fish, steak and her new favorite, fried chicken.
"It hurt a lot," Ms. Vivchar said, her leg wrapped and propped up on the bed at California Pacific Medical Center. "It's getting better."
The rare medical condition, known as arteriovenous malformation, means that there are thousands of extra arteries and veins forming a tangled web between her right foot and knee.
Her most recent surgery sought to place a small piece of stomach muscle tissue - slightly more than 4 inches by 4 inches - on her wounded right foot, to be covered up by a skin graft from her left thigh. Her body previously rejected a similar procedure that didn't include muscle tissue.
When she was younger, the right foot grew inflamed after surgeons in Ukraine attempted to open up the bottom of the foot in an effort to see the thousands of extra veins and arteries there. Ms. Vivchar was effectively walking on a scar that started to bleed and then caused a series of infections and forced her to walk with crutches.
Ms. Vivchar arrived in San Francisco earlier this year with an open wound on the bottom of her right foot.
The cause of the disease, which affects about 1 in 100,000 people, is unknown, Dr. Buncke said.
"She's a determined, intelligent and bright" young woman, he added.
Ms. Vivchar is the only child of parents who live in a village with no running water, said Teri Allen, the local woman who met the teen during a visit to Ukraine about three years ago.
Ms. Allen sought help from Dr. Buncke and California Pacific Medical Center, which have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical care.
United Airlines, the Ukrainian Aerosvit Airlines and the Salvation Army also donated services to bring the young woman to the U.S.
"She's an extremely talented person," Ms. Allen said. "I have high hopes for her future."
The young woman, who has learned to speak English during her stay in San Francisco, writes poetry in Ukrainian. "I write poems about my problem," Ms. Vivchar said. "I write about the problems of the people and suffering."
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Editor's note: Donations for Ms. Vivchar's medical and educational needs should be made to the Ukrainian National Women's League of America Inc. with the notation "For Olha Vivchar" and sent to: UNWLA, 203 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003.
The article above is reprinted with permission from the San Francisco Examiner, where it was published on August 14. Melanie Carroll is a staff writer for the Examiner.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, November 12, 2006, No. 46, Vol. LXXIV
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