MARS HILL, Maine — A young Moroccan man who was brought to the United States to have his severely deformed feet corrected through surgery is now “flourishing,” according to the Mars Hill woman who led the fundraising effort to finance the medical procedures.
Betsy Allen said on Tuesday that Abdelkhalek El Malyani, 21, whom she met in 2013 at the Sidi Moumen Cultural Center in Casablanca, Morocco, as part of a one-week volunteer teaching experience, is now walking without crutches. He underwent seven hours of bilateral foot realignment and restructuring surgery on Nov. 1, 2016, at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts, and several follow up surgeries this year.
“It is just overwhelming to see how much better he is doing now,” said Allen. “It has been a long journey for him, but he is doing fantastic and is leaving the U.S. on Nov. 28.”
Allen met the young man when she went to Morocco for a one week volunteer teaching experience. She said that her “heart just broke” when she saw Abdelkhalek, whose feet were so severely deformed that his feet and heels faced inward. The soles of his feet faced each other, and he had trouble walking without pain. Since he grew up in Sidi Moumen, Casablanca, the largest shanty town in the country, he had no access to medical care that could have corrected the problem.
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- Abdelkhalek El Malyani, 21, is pictured in August 2017 recovering in Springfield, Massachusetts, after successfully undergoing a seven hour bilateral foot realignment and restructuring surgery last year and several follow up surgeries this year. Betsy Allen of Mars Hill raised money to bring El Malyani to the United States and Shriners International funded all of his medical costs. He will return to Morocco in late November. (Courtesy/Betsy Allen)
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- Abdelkhalek El Malyani, 21, underwent a seven hour bilateral foot realignment and restructuring surgery on Nov. 1, 2016, and several follow up surgeries this year to correct a severe deformity in his feet. Betsy Allen of Mars Hill raised money to bring El Malyani to the United States and Shriners International funded all of his medical costs. His feet are shown here while he recovers in Springfield, Massachusetts. El Malyani plans to return to Morocco in late November. (Courtesy/Betsy Allen)
Abdelkhalek learned to adapt by walking on the sides of his feet. The deformity prevented him from holding certain jobs, however, and he was unable to run or perform a number of other tasks. After she got back from Morocco, Allen contacted Shriners International, and the organization agreed to take on the case. The Shriners funded all of his medical costs and paid for Abdelkhalek and a translator to come to the U.S. Allen also started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for other expenses related to the trip and surgery. Abdelkhalek and his translator have been staying in Springfield, Massachusetts, during the multiple medical procedures.
While he was recuperating in the hospital, Allen said, he was visited by a group of Moroccans who lived in the area. He had some complications from the surgery, including an infection in one foot that cleared up after several weeks. Allen said that she saw Abdelkhalek once in July and twice in August, and he had learned many words in English and talked about how much he loved life in the U.S.
“He would love to stay and he wants to come back,” said Allen. “I am going to miss him, but I am thrilled. This has been a total success story.”
To read about Abdelkhalek’s progress, log on to fixabdelkhaleksfeet.blogspot.com.
