Spanish Blogger Visits his Life-Saving Vietnamese Doctor

Juan Por El Mundo, a Spanish blogger who travels around the world, has just come back to Vietnam to visit the doctor that had put all his effort into saving the man’s legs after a severe accident 5 years ago, and also took the time to complete his unfinished trip. Speaking with the press, the blogger recalled his unforgettable memories.

Charlotte Pho

October 15, 2022 | 10:00

A trip turned into a nightmare

Juan Por El Mundo (left) came back to Vietnam to thank Doctor Khiem (right) and other doctors that saved his life. Photo: In courtesy of Juan Por El Mundo

5 years ago, Juan Por El Mundo, the 30 – year – old Spanish travel blogger came to Vietnam to challenge himself by trekking through the country on his motorbike. But his trip soon turned into a nightmare. On his way to discover the suburban of Ho Chi Minh City, Juan was suddenly hit by a truck, causing his legs to be seriously injured, with his left one almost getting ripped off. The local people used bamboo tubes to temporarily brace his legs and called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

The doctors working that day in the hospital took the patient in, who was in a state of shock, with the left leg totally crushed and the bones exposed.

The image of Juan being taken to the hospital after the accident. Photo: In courtesy of Juan Por El Mundo

Juan Por El Mundo was very anxious in the wake of the tragic accident. As a physical therapist, he understood the severity of his injuries, and the thought of losing his legs was devastating. However, the doctors promised him that they would do everything to save his life.

“Seeing the tragedy fell on this young man and how painful he was, I was determined to try all the ways possible to save his legs,” Doctor Truong Hoang Vinh Khiem, Department of Trauma and Orthopedics - FV. Hospital recalled. However, the wound was serious, with the blood vessels and nerves totally crushed and damaged in several parts. Due to the temporary bandage with a bamboo tube, the dirt and mud got into the wound, which caused a high risk of infection.

Doctor Khiem cleaned the wound before performing surgery. He filtered all the crushed flesh that was dirty, placed an external fixation system so that the patient's skeletal system would not move, and tried to restore the vascular system of the legs. “I had to save each part of soft tissue to cover the bones of his legs,” he said.

After 4 hours, the surgery went well and was successful. The postoperative suture was closely and carefully monitored to control any infection. After 3 weeks of staying in the hospital, Juan made an extraordinary recovery. He came back to Spain and continued to do physical therapy until his legs were fully healed.

Completed his unfinished trip

Juan after the surgery. Photo: In courtesy of Juan Por El Mundo

To Juan, August 19th, 2017 is the day that he would never forget – the nightmare he went through, and how he was saved by the doctors.

“That was the most terrifying moment in my life,” Juan recalled. The Spanish travel blogger felt extremely lucky that he got into the safe hands of the most talented doctors. This comforted him a lot when he had to go through hardship in a strange country without his family or friends.

“My legs had been fully recovered, and I had returned to my normal life, playing sports, dancing, and cycling,” Juan said excitedly. After this accident, he was even more determined to pursue his passion of becoming a travel blogger, traveling around the world and sharing his story.

Coming back to Vietnam this time, Juan intended not only to complete his unfinished trip but also to thank the doctors who had saved his life, which gave him a second chance to live.

Doctor Khiem was very surprised and touched when he met the patient that he had taken care of 5 years ago. “I am so happy that I was able to heal his legs and helped him return to his normal life, even traveling around the world – one thing that I would love to do as well,” he shared.

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