US nurse transcends boundaries to give new lease of life to Hyderabad boy

HYDERABAD: A nurse from North Carolina, Laura Dellicker came to Hyderabad in 2018, to adopt a child. She met baby Salim — just over two years old then — at an orphanage. Within minutes Laura decided to take him back with her. Neither his religion nor his rare skin ailment — Epidermolysis Bullosa, also known as butterfly disease — was a bother.
One year on, though the single mother spends several hours every day changing Salim’s bandages, her eyes light up each time he beams at the sight of biryani or comes home from his Indian dance class, with a spring in his feet.
“I connected with him immediately because I have a friend whose son suffers from the same disease. I realised that, while Salim would find love in India, it would be very difficult for someone unfamiliar with his condition to take adequate care of him. It was an instant decision,” Laura told STOI from her home in Chapel Hill, which she now shares with Salim.
Explaining the complexity of his health condition, the adoptive mother said: “His body does not produce any collagen 7, which is the protein that binds our layers of skin together. Any friction, touch or bump to his skin causes his skin to blister severely or fall off completely. He has open wounds all over his body and must wear speciality bandages neck to toe. He requires baths, bandage changes and wound care daily. It takes three hours.”
Though the care is cost-intensive, Laura says it isn’t a concern as most of it is covered by health insurance.
But attending to his medical needs, is only a part of it. Laura has also associated herself with the local Indian community there, to ensure Salim always stays connected with the Indian culture.
“He participates in cultural events organised by these associations. In fact, he recently performed at our local India Fest,” Laura said, sharing how her boy loves spicy biriyani.
Not denying that the initial days were a bit of a challenge — especially with curious neighbourhood kids trying to gauge just why Salim walked around in bandages all the time — his mother said that the child has now warmed up to his new surroundings. “Today, ours is a happy home. He has friends and family here,” she said.