David Sparkes
PLASTIC surgeons at the Royal Children’s Hospital have given a bubbly two-year-old Tibetan girl the chance of a new life.
A lymphatic malformation on her face and neck had made Chogkey Tenzin’s life a misery. Villagers called her a pig and a monkey.
Chogkey’s problems added to the family’s woes — they had been forced to live in exile in northern India.
Regularly her mum, Choedon, travelled nine hours by bus to take Chogkey to hospital.
Mrs Tenzin did not tell the Melbourne woman who had sponsored her from childhood, Vyvyan Cayley, about her daughter because she did not want to bother her.
Instead, she asked the Dalai Lama for a blessing. The spiritual leader touched Chogkey’s face, blew on her blackened tongue and said: “I will pray for a quick recovery, don’t worry.”
Finally, last year, Mrs Tenzin told Ms Cayley about Chogkey.
In a few weeks Ms Cayley — through Moira Kelly’s Children First Foundation — brought Chogkey to the Royal Children’s Hospital for plastic surgery.
In two long operations, over six months, Tony Pennington and his team removed the growth.
Mrs Tenzin is looking forward to going home this week.
“Now I don’t have to hide her from anyone. Last time I went to a shopping complex called Knox and no one was looking at Chogkey . . . she looks beautiful to me.”
