Scars of Vietnam-era `napalm girl" treated at US clinic

The girl in the photo is Kim Phuc, who has lived with great pain caused by the scars. At a clinic in Miami, laser treatment is starting to grant her some relief. Miami 

 

More than 40 years after being burned by napalm in Vietnam, the scars on Kim Phuc, the girl who became a symbol of the Vietnam War, are starting to heal. A new laser treatment is making a difference on her skin, which wasburned on June 8, 1972 when South Vietnamese forces mistakenly showered napalm on the village where she lived at age 9.Phuc took off her burning clothes and ran naked, terrified and shouting in pain. Photographer Nick Ut was there to record the moment before pouring water on the girl, covering her and taking her to the nearest hospital in his car.

 

Forty-three years later, Phuc and Ut are still close. In September, the Associated Press photographer travelled to Miami with Phuc for the first session of treatment on her scars and it is already bearingfruit.

 

"I knew what I had in my roll of film and I immediately knew this photo had to be shown to the world," Ut told dpa in an interview. "I wanted to show everyone how terrible war is," he said. Ut was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for that photo, which many believe marked the beginning of the end of the Vietnam war.

 

Phuc gives very few interviews, and Ut acts as her spokesman. Phuc fled to Canada with her husband in the early 1990s and still lives there. After being burned by the napalm, Phuc spent more than a year in hospital. Over time, she got used to the pain caused by wounds that are only now starting to heal.

 

"We will be able to help the appearance of Kim's scars and also greatly improve her mobility and range of motion," doctor Jill Waibel, who runs the Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute, confidently told dpa. "Kim's scars are moderate, but do give her trouble and cause her pain," the expert explained. Phuc is already feeling some improvement from the treatment.

 

"She has mentioned her scars are softer," the doctor said after the first stage in a process that is set to last six to nine months. Waibel and Phuc came in contact after the doctor's father-in-law heard Phuc speak at a church and was moved by her message. He approached her afterward and mentioned his daughter-in-law's work. Later, Phuc saw a television story Waibel's success in burn treatment and called to schedule an appointment.

 

Waibel had seen the famous photo while she was a student and did not hesitate to set up a meeting. "Kim is an amazing woman who has helped many people," said the doctor, who is not being paid for her services. "Kim is very special because of her historical importance. She is truly a living human symbol of war and the fact that innocent children can get hurt during times of war and unrest," she said. The procedure involves a laser making tiny wounds on the skin, which lead to a vaporization of scar tissue. Within a few months, the affected area recovers, thanks to the collagen in the new skin. At first, patients report sensory improvements and within a few days see their mobility improve.

 

Phuc is already feeling such improvements, Waibel and Ut said. The woman's scars have also marked the photographer's life and career. "I've kept in touch with Kim throughout. I am her close friend and like a big brother. We travel the world speaking about the atrocities or war," the 64-year-old photographer explained about the mission the two share. At age 52, the "napalm girl" leads a foundation under her own name which fights to make sure that no other child ever has to go through what she endured.

 

"I realised that if I couldn't escape that picture, I wanted to go back to work with that picture for peace. And that is my choice," Kim told CNN in August. "She has dedicated her life to helping others, and although her pain is a constant because of the extensive scaring, she never complains. She is like an angel!" the photographer said. Ut, a Vietnamese-American, is certain that Phuc's photo is the hardest he ever took in his life, although he has reported on many conflicts with his camera.

 

"We thought no one was there but then we saw people running out through the smoke. I couldn't believe it but I quickly put my camera up to my eye and took some photos, including the pivotal one of Kim Phuc. I remember how terrible their burns were and how sad it was to see the dying babies," he recalls.

 

"Even though it was hard to see my people suffer, I had to document it for the world to see, as photographs truly help tell the story, "he explained professionally.//DPA