The Story of Chris Joy 

Hundreds of people have gathered at the district hospital in Rwinkwavu, in eastern Rwanda, not far from the border with Tanzania. The lines snake around the hospital building and stretch as far as the eye can see.  

They’re waiting to see a doctor who will perform an initial screening. The patients’ hope is that this screening will lead to a surgery, to take place in the next five days. Here, the medical team specializes in reconstructive plastic surgery, such as cleft lip and palate, burn injuries, surgeries after cancerous tumors or wounds from accidents that have not healed, and the team must prioritize who will receive surgery this time. 

Suddenly, there is movement among the crowd. A small boy hops forward on a pair of old, rusty crutches, far too short for his height. But he controls them completely. He maneuvers his legs, spins on a dime and does a split in the air. His whole face shines with joy. 

Operation Smile Rwanda Patient Coordinator Ezechiel Bimenyinana approaches the boy, asks his name and what kind of injury he has to his legs. 

“Chris Joy,” he replies, lifting his legs while balancing on the crutches. It then becomes clear that the boy has no feet. On one foot, there’s an old sneaker acting as a homemade prosthetic, and only a bandage wrapped around a stump just below his shin on the other. 

A Difficult Journey 

Chris Joy has come to Rwinkwavu from the other side of the country. He and his mother, Diane, live in Gisenyi, far to the west, not far from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Chris Joy was little, an accident that would shape the family’s entire life occurred. 

“He was just a baby. … There was a phone charger that caught fire while he was sleeping. The blanket caught fire. I was cooking in the kitchen and didn’t notice until people came banging on the door, screaming that there was a fire. I rushed in and picked up my boy, but by then it was already too late. His feet were like smoldering coals; there was nothing left.” 

Diane ran with her child in panic to a health clinic, which then sent them by ambulance to the nearest district hospital. But there, the staff just shook their heads and said that no one could help the boy. They had no hope that he would even survive. She had to beg them to send him by ambulance to the capital for specialized care. Many hours later, they were able to travel with an ambulance that was already heading there with another patient. 

Once in Kigali, at the university hospital, they received life-saving burn care, which marked the beginning of the years-long treatment process Chris Joy is now in the middle of. 

Helping Patients Reach Care 

Until a few years ago, Rwanda only had two certified plastic surgeons, both trained abroad. In collaboration with Operation Smile, these two surgeons developed a plan to establish an academic program within the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) to increase the number of plastic surgeons in Rwanda and throughout the region. Today, six plastic surgeons work in the country, and new ones are added each year.  

Victoire Mukamitari, M.D., MMed, is one of those currently training within the program. She frequently participates in the training programs that Operation Smile organizes at various district hospitals around the country. 

“It really feels great to be part of these [programs]. Not only do I get to see many rare cases, but I also get direct hands-on training alongside my mentor, Professor Faustin. It’s also very beneficial for the people here in the country, as they no longer have to wait for months to get an appointment at the university hospital in Kigali. So, it’s a great opportunity to receive care more quickly,” says Mukamitari. 

To bring life-changing surgery closer to home, Operation Smile invests in health infrastructure and local training. By renovating and equipping surgical departments at district hospitals across Rwanda, we help ensure that no one in the country — home to 14 million people — is more than about two hours from a hospital with access to safe surgery. 

In the northwestern part of the country, Operation Smile has recently opened newly renovated surgical departments at two district hospitals, one in Musanze and one in Gisenyi, where Chris Joy lives. For him, this means he no longer has to travel across the country for another surgery. It will also make a big difference for the family’s finances to avoid long trips and the costs of medicines and surgeries. 

Transforming Chris Joy’s Care 

Diane’s story highlights the desperation that too many people face when an illness or accident strikes a family member. Two out of three people on the planet don’t have a hospital nearby that can provide surgery. 

“We had to sell everything we owned, everything that didn’t burn up that day, to save him,” Diane recalls. “I had to go around the city alone, trying to buy the medicines he needed.” 

Later, Diane heard about Operation Smile and the possibility of free surgeries during regular surgical programs at six district hospitals around the country. Since then, she and her son have made the journey there whenever they got the chance. 

Today, Chris Joy is 6 years old and has had several surgeries from Operation Smile’s team of volunteer plastic surgeons. Some of the burn wounds have been difficult to heal, and he has needed skin grafts from other parts of his body to help the wounds close. 

Mukamitari, who has seen Chris Joy and his mother travel many times for new surgeries, is more than halfway through her specialized training to become a plastic surgeon. She knows what a difference it would make for a family like Chris Joy’s with more plastic surgeons at district hospitals. 

“I really see the need here in Rwanda. It’s not easy for people to get surgical care, so it really motivates me to continue.” 

Chris Joy has now tried his first real prosthetics, and, slowly but surely, the family is working towards helping him walk without crutches and live an independent life.