Shakil has burns on his body, including his left hand which he was unable to use at all. The burn scar contractures had pulled his thumb onto his wrist, and his fingers bent back onto the back of his hand. A surgeon from the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital (Woan-Yi Chan) operated on Shakil alongside the Ugandan plastic surgery trainees, Darius and Martin in June 2013. They released his scars, then his hand was splinted in theatre post op by visiting physio, Jackie Fowler, with assistance from Ugandan physio, Stanley Lubega. He will now be able to grasp and use his left hand.