One of the most incredible things the human body ever does is heal. Just think of it: When you break a window, the shards of glass aren't going to go back together again. The tear in your shirt isn't going to stitch itself. But your skin and bones do it all the time.
Of course, not all injuries are created equally. Sometimes the body needs a little help to get to the point where its healing abilities can take over. One girl's terrible injuries in a fire put those abilities to the test. But, with the help of good people and a wonder-working surgeon, she made the kind of recovery that will leave you amazed.
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In her small village in Afghanistan, young Zubaida Hassan was helping her family with dinner one night when a horrible accident occurred.
The propane tank she was hooking up to the family's stove caught fire, leaving her covered in terrible third-degree burns.
Zubaida's injuries weren't just disfiguring — they were causing other problems, too.
With her chin melted to her chest, she couldn't close her mouth properly, so she couldn't eat well and had gotten thin. She couldn't close her eyes, either, and her right arm had fused to her side.
The doctors in Afghanistan didn't expect her to live, let alone recover from the burns.
They did what they could, but without anesthesia or pain killers, they couldn't even help her rest, so they warned her family to prepare for the worst.
But after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, Zubaida's father saw a possibility of help he couldn't have found otherwise and sought help from the soldiers.
Seeing that the girl was suffering, they were determined to help. With her extensive injuries, she and her father were sent to California's Grossman Burn Center. Dr. Peter Grossman had a tough task ahead of him...
Although she was scared, Zubaida insisted on shaking the hand of each member of her surgical team before the work began.
And there would be more challenges than just surgery ahead for Zubaida.
In the first week of her visit to the U.S., Zubaida underwent two surgeries.
Those surgeries almost immediately transformed her life, freeing up her neck and arm.
Despite the incredibly painful process of skin grafts using her own tissue so that her body doesn't reject it, Zubaida wore a smile when she saw herself in the mirror.
The difference in her appearance was already remarkable, even though she still had a long way to go.
Zubaida's father had nothing but gratitude for Dr. Grossman's skills, but he had to return to Afghanistan after only a week.
And without some help, Zubaida would have to return as well with her treatment unfinished...
It's easy to see that Dr. Grossman was moved by Zubaida, and when he learned she wouldn't be able to stay in the U.S. without a sponsor, he and his wife went ahead and took her into their home so her treatments could continue.
As the surgeries and treatments continued, Zubaida also attended school for the first time and started to settle into life in a gated community in Southern California.
She still had to have work done on her arm, eyes, ears, and lips.
But after the first surgery, she no longer cried. She could see how she was improving and was determined to get better. As her spirits picked up, she even started singing and dancing.
Zubaida had 12 surgeries in all — three years' worth packed into one year.
In the end, she felt like a normal girl. She made friends, had a birthday party, and formed a strong bond with the Grossmans.
Perhaps the most bittersweet part came when Zubaida had to return to Afghanistan and rejoin her family.
Overcome with emotion and astonished at her transformation, Zubaida's parents welcomed their daughter home with tears of joy. They couldn't stop touching her face and her arm in disbelief at how far she had come.
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