Dream holidays planned for doctor with renewed zest after dog bite surgery

A Midrand doctor whose 40th birthday celebrations were delayed when she required surgery for a dog bite is now planning two dream holidays abroad with a renewed zest for life. 

Dr Aobakwe Segwe, a specialist radiologist, had planned special celebrations for her milestone birthday in July last year, but just a week before her hopes for her dream birthday were shattered when an excited young dog caused a serious injury to her face.

“My cousin owns a spirited one-year-old Doberman, Chase. On that day, he seemed excited and in good spirits. I had no reason to be afraid of him at all. But, when I leaned forward to say goodbye to him, he jumped up towards my face.

“I felt the hard thud as he connected with my nose. It really didn’t feel like he’d bitten me. But, when I looked in the mirror, I saw to my horror that I had a serious injury, and through the wound I could see my nasal bone. We rushed straight to the emergency department at Netcare Pinehaven Hospital in Krugersdorp.”

She stayed at the hospital for a week, under the care of plastic surgeon Dr Brian Monaisa.

He reconstructed the right half and the tip of the nose using a forehead flap.

Monaisa explained the procedure involves turning down a piece of skin from the forehead above the eyebrow and pivoting it vertically downwards to resurface the nose. He also used cartilage from her ear to help reconstruct her nose.

“With Dr Segwe’s 40th birthday fast approaching, our problem was that you have to wait three weeks before you can attach the forehead flap. That can be emotionally difficult for the patient and this is where patient counselling becomes very important,” Monaisa said. “We did the flap division four weeks later and this was followed by a couple of minor touch-ups.

“The nose is in the centre of the face. It’s the first thing people see. An injury like this can affect a person’s self-esteem and image, so it’s really important to do it right. The reward for me is patient satisfaction and a good quality of life. We want to restore the patient’s confidence, so they not only look good, but feel good too.”

Segwe, who took time off from her practice for a few months to recuperate, has been left with only a faint scar. 

A doting owner of two Pomeranian dogs, Simba and Nala, she admits the incident with Chase has made her more cautious around dogs.

While she was sad her much-anticipated birthday plans had to be postponed at the time, she has much to look forward to, including a Maldives birthday trip in March and a “girls’ trip” to Italy in July.

Segwe said her real happy ending was that she was “forced to pause and appreciate every little thing in my life”.

“I have a renewed laser focus for what I aim to achieve in life.”

She also has a deepened love and appreciation for her family, friends and colleagues who supported her through her ordeal.

TimesLIVE

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