Brave Rhianna Kidd returns to school
The 10-year-old Dundee girl who endured horrific injuries after she was grabbed from her bike by two rottweilers has returned to school.
Rhianna Kidd at home with mum Lisa Grady.
- By Laura Thomas
- Published in the Courier : 28.09.10
- Published online : 28.09.10 @ 06.29am
Rhianna Kidd was attacked as she cycled to her gran's house in Dryburgh Street, on Sunday, August 29.
She was rushed to Ninewells Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to her jaw — broken in two places — and received hundreds of stitches to her face, neck, arms and legs.
She spent more than a week in hospital before she was finally allowed home.
However Rhianna, who has been coming on in "leaps and bounds", returned to classes at St Clement's Primary on Monday, just under four weeks since the ordeal.
Mum Lisa Grady said, "She enjoyed it. She's happy to be back. The schools break up for holidays at the end of this week for a fortnight but I thought we would ease her in by letting her go back for a week."
Lisa (30) said classmates were not told of her return in case Rhianna changed her mind at any point about resuming primary six.
She said, "She knew she could phone home at any time if she was feeling tired or not up to it and someone would have picked her up but she stayed the whole day and seemed contented enough.
"A few of her fellow pupils went up to her and were asking her questions but it wasn't too bad."
"A wee bit panicked"
She added, "She decided to stay in over playtime so as not to attract too much attention.
"I think once she's been back for a while and other pupils see her out and about in the corridors and things return to normal she'll go out for her break."
Grandmother Irene Grady (56), who rescued Rhianna from the dogs, escorted her to the school gates.
She said, "I think she was worried that everyone would crowd her and is scared in case she gets knocked over and her wounds open again.
"She was a wee bit panicked when some pupils came over to her but she got on just fine."
She added, "She's also a wee bit self-conscious about how she looks as she can only smile on the one side of her face.
"She looks like her old self until she smiles."
Irene, who still has trouble getting to sleep after witnessing the attack, said she was shocked when Rhianna announced she was "lucky to still be alive."
She said, "She doesn't really talk about it so when she came out with that the other day it was completely out of the blue.
"Imagine a girl of just 10 saying something like that?"
Facial paralysis
She added, "I'll never forget what happened that day — I see it every time I close my eyes."
Rhianna still has stitches in her neck and ear but X-rays have shown her jaw has aligned properly after it was fitted with two plates.
She also suffers from paralysis on the left side of her face, which doctors say could take 18 months to heal.
Lisa said, "She had an inch-long gash in front of her left ear where the nerves are, but the surgeon said there was no damage.
"They think the nerve shut off because of the swelling and has yet to spark.
"She has three follow-up appointments scheduled for next month and November."
She added, "The injuries on her leg are still quite obvious from a distance, but staff at Ninewells have done a brilliant job."
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